And That's What It's All About
by FallenStar2
Summary: Buffy’s vision quest takes a whole different direction… as a selfless noncorporeal a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away. BtVS&Star Wars
1. Spirit Guide

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars crossover. One-shot. Characters are Buffy Summers and a certain Jedi.

**Summary: **Buffy's vision quest takes a whole different direction…

**Spoilers: **Minor spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer leading up to 'The Gift'. Minor spoilers for all three prequel Star Wars films – very minor. There is dialogue from the episode 'Intervention' as well as a few others. I'm sure if you know canon well, you'll pick it up easily.

**Timeline: **This takes place over the course of 'Intervention'. The Star Wars end takes place during the Clone Wars.

**Dedication: **It's Christmas time! Once again, I decided to fulfill a request that no one else seemed willing to take. In my opinion, you are all chicken. While it could so easily be "well, let's just throw her in a portal and be done with it", I decided for something new. Although this is truly a one-shot, it can be taken so much further. Here's to Grace, my beta and my darned good friend, whose mighty presence I recently spent a week in… as in two weeks ago. This is your one-scene rewrite. I hope you enjoy. I hope it inspires you. And I hope this gets you off of my back about choosing a new genre… honestly!

x-o-x

**And That's What it's All About**

Okay, so maybe Giles thought he didn't look like an idiot as he hopped in his circle, jumped out and then shook his little rattling gourd. "And that's what it's all about," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Giles just gave me his usual patented glare before tipping his head to the desert around us. I think his signal to clear out before he got really annoyed was obvious at this point. I decided to do what he was hinting with the hemming and hawing.

I took a few precarious steps forward, hoping that something would jump out at me. This place is eerily familiar, looking like a trip I took through my own mind. It's funny, really. It's like a patented franchise for creepy things. I don't want to see wigged, but the whole atmosphere wasn't exactly welcome.

I can still hear Giles. He's not talking in English anymore. Then again, I think he likes some of those older languages. It just seems to be the type of thing he likes. I don't really pick up on anything else other than the wide desert and Giles's soft chanting. It was then I heard a low growl and glanced to my left, frowning slightly. It was a mountain lion… or a bobcat, or something. Like I know anything about zoology. It blinks at me and growls again. After Giles told me that he was transferring his guardianship to someone else, I really hoped it wasn't this lion that could likely eat me if I wasn't fed or hydrated in a week.

"Hello kitty," I began in my most welcoming voice. It stared at me for a moment before turning on its legs and starting off in a direction that was even farther from any signs of civilization. Knowing that this was some symbolic ritual that Giles had sworn by, I couldn't help but trust him. Given everything else that had been happening, it was all I had left. Taking a deep breath, we walked on.

After what seemed like miles, the cat finally stopped and turned to look at me again. Seeing a rock, I moved over towards it. Taking in my surroundings, I found that they matched my memories exactly… or better, this was the desert of my dreams. "I know this place," I murmured to no one in particular. The cat just blinked at me and I figured it couldn't understand what I was saying anyway. I took a deep breath and forced my attention on the sand. Was it just my imagination, or was it moving? The air seemed to move and with it came a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. As I was privileged to see and here things of a supernatural scale, I felt my Slayer sense tingle. My body tensed, prepared to face whatever anyone was willing to throw at me. At once, it seemed as though my tense body fell slack. I found myself suddenly drowsy and glanced around as the brilliant sunlight and warmth of the desert seemed to fall away. Before I could protest about this sudden shift in both earth and atmosphere, I saw nothing but darkness.

It seemed like an eternity before my eyes opened again. God knows I tried. But something kept them shut. It was frustrating for me, feeling something else slip through my hand. First it was my mother… then Dawn… and now…

Where in the hell was I?

This was no desert. It wasn't even outdoors. I looked to my left and saw a pane of windows that stretched as far as the eye could see. There were skyscrapers out there that seemed to dazzle in the glittering sunlight. But my eyes soon spotted movement… lots of movement.

Spaceships?

"What is this?" I asked in disbelief, quickly turning to glance to my right. Everything seemed to sink in at once. I was in a different place with spaceships. Right. And then I would pinch myself, wake up and find that this was only a dream. This had to be a dream. Whatever Giles said would happen was going terribly wrong. This was so wrong. Something was definitely off about this place.

I then glanced to my right and received my second shock. Sitting on a fat little pouf about eight feet away was a creature smaller than I was. A quick search of my Slayer sense told me that this little creature was no demon, but I could sense a great deal of power in him. Him? It had to be a him. He just looked like a little masculine… okay, so I couldn't tell. He wasn't exactly wearing a dress or anything other than that resembling a toga. He was… green. He was little and green and wrinkled. He had batty ears that wouldn't look out of place on some primate except for the tufts of white hair protruding from them. His eyes were large and completely open. In turn, they took my breath away.

"What are you?" I tried, pushing the feeling that this was horribly wrong out of my mind.

"What I am, you need know not," the creature replied in a vague, croaky tone that was something like a combination of Kermit the Frog and something else I couldn't quite identify. "Hurt you, I will not."

"That's not very comforting," I replied, turning to face him. Perhaps he was easier to believe than those stupid ships flying outside.

"Questions, have you?"

Did I ever… I'm naturally suspicious by nature. It's just the way I am. I started with a deluge mainly because this was the strangest vision quest I had ever dreamed of. "Where is this place? Why are there ships flying outside? Where are we? Who are you? And why am I not in a desert?"

The creature just blinked at her patiently as I continued my verbal barrage.

"I'm really confused," I concluded, feeling somewhat ashamed as he looked at me. I hadn't withdrawn my gaze yet, no matter how much I wanted to. Damn, did I ever want to. "The last time I checked, I was in a desert following a mountain lion. Now I'm a thousand years in the future watching spaceships fly and looking at… are you a demon?"

"A demon?" the figure asked, lifting a gnarled hand to touch his brow. "Know of this demon, I do not. Believe you are what it is said you are, I do."

"Want to kick your ass, I do," I retorted. This cryptic bull was grating on my nerves. As soon as I got out of this, I was going to throttle my so-called Watcher.

"Hasten, you do, to violence and suspicion. Greed is not your nature. Knowledge is not your nature. Speak of why you have come, you will."

I sighed and glanced down at the floor. Even that looked about a thousand years ahead of the desert sand. "If Giles transferred his guardianship over to a three-foot-tall green fellow with wicked powers, then I'll eat my hat."

"A hat you do not wear," the figure continued again, this time pulling his gnarled hand to gesture at her.

Well, at least he could deadpan the obvious, I thought with a derisive snort. "I don't understand," I tried again. "Who are you?"

"Yoda," the figure replied, bowing his head. "Yoda, they call me."

No way… this wasn't… "No way!" I breathed, pressing a hand to my mouth. "You're… you're…"

He just blinked at me again as though I were something fascinating a scientist might want to study. Well, I am, but this is beside the point. I know who Yoda is. Giles's wisdom has been compared to Yoda's on several occasions. Could it possibly be true that this Yoda was the same Yoda that legend spoke of?

"Okay… you're my guide?" I had to do this the right way or I was totally going to do something regretful. There was a lot of power built into that small package.

"Your guide, I may be," Yoda replied in that cryptic tongue. "Called I was. Seek answers, you must."

"I do have questions," I admitted quietly. "But I'm… are you the right person to talk to?"

"You know me not," Yoda replied, his tone dropping slightly. "Great power you have. Great risks you take in coming here."

"I know, but I…" How could I explain to someone three-feet-tall and green that I felt like I was losing the very person I was. He seemed to sense my hesitance because his eyes met mine again and slowly he gave an encouraging nod. "I feel like I'm losing what I am," I continued. "It's about what I am."

"I know of you," Yoda advised. My eyebrows lifted as he continued on. "What you are and what you will be. Not different are we. Believe in the same credo, we do."

"What's that?" I asked, settling down on the pouf that was suddenly behind me. "How can we be alike?"

"Forge strength from emotions, we do. Be light in darkness we are. Use our powers for good, we do. Fight in wars, engage in battles all in the name of protecting our worlds. Lead with emotions, we must. To fear what we become is a path that leads to darkness. A path we cannot follow."

"So," I said, my mind spinning, "you're telling me that you fight for the greater good of humanity?" Though I emphasized the last word slightly, I caught the slight wince in his face. He was as far from human as I was from normal. He nodded. "Okay, so I think I'm starting to know. But… how do you do it? How can you do what you do and not feel like you're losing your ability to do small things?"

"Feel you are losing your ability to love?" Yoda asked, sounding surprised.

"Am I?"

Yoda shook his head slightly, withdrawing his gaze to the brilliant windows. "Lead with your heart, you always have. The call of destiny you follow. Brighter than fire your heart remains. A great beauty it still holds. A great tragedy is has to become."

Now I was getting confused again. "So I'm not losing it?"

"Lose your love would be to lose what you are. Reject it, you cannot. Risks you have taken. Love will you know." He gave her another one of his patented looks. "Feel your power, I do. Feel your love, your compassion, your passion… it will last forever. Your question, I have answered." Seeing the surprised look on my face, he must have realized that he was being a little too cryptic again. "A gift, you have. Chosen you were. Believe you must the power of your love. Believe you must the power of your destiny."

But my mind was stuck on the gift part. "There's a gift? What gift… is it a gift I have or a gift I need to give to someone?"

He bowed his head again, looking as though this were some great turmoil to admit. "Death is your gift."

"I… what?"

"Death is your gift."

"Death is nobody's gift," I replied coolly, my voice cracking slightly. "How can you say that? If you know what I am, then you know who I am. You know I've lost people, people I love. My mother just died. If killing a few demons and vamps now and then makes the world a safer place, then I'll for it, but—"

"Enough, is it?" Yoda asked, his voice rising above my own. "No joy in such death, you find. No future is there. No life beyond death in that. Risks you will take. Sacrifice, avengement… do what is necessary to ensure others live, you will. This is why death is your gift."

"How can you say that?" I asked. My voice is getting softer as the emotions come out of me. Everything I had been holding onto, everything worth clinging to… everything I am… it just felt as though it were spilling out into this brightly lit room in front of this little creature called Yoda.

"Worth more than you know, you are," Yoda continued. He was pointing at me again. "Selfless love, you know. Those you lose, do not grieve. Miss them, do not. Mourn them, do not. A great joy is it to fulfill their life in the Force."

"The Force?" I asked quizzically. Of course, I thought dryly. There had to be _some _sort of religion involved with all this preacher's talk.

"What binds us all to the world the Force is," Yoda replied. "Connects us to each living thing, the Force does. Believe that your power holds the Force, I do."

"What do you mean?" I whispered. "Are you saying that…"

"More to you, I believe there is. More to come, there will be." He gazed up at me again. "Go, you must. Believe in your heart, you will. Trust in your love, you can."

As I felt the drowsiness come over me, I feel his gaze start to blur. It's as though he's putting me in a hypnosis that I can't exactly get away from.

"Chosen you may be," he said in that same croaky voice. I knew at once who he reminded me of… some television celebrity that wasn't green and a frog, though he sort of resembled Kermit… "Live in the shadow of darkness, you do. Given freely to what you will be, you are not… yet… ready…"

"Ready?" I murmured… I feel drunk now. His words aren't making any sense, sort of like a nursery rhyme sung in another language. Maybe Sumerian. Giles was really going to suffer if I ever saw him again. Yet before I can open my mouth to speak, darkness washes over me and I hear Yoda's voice for the last time.

"This world is called Coruscant. Remember it, you will."

I awoke with a snap, glancing around me. It was deep in the middle of the night. I had been sleeping. Had I dreamt everything? Where was I? What was that? And why was I suddenly having a sudden need to throttle my Watcher?

Standing up, I glanced at the stars. Suddenly, I realized how small I felt. I had just talked to Yoda. _The _Yoda. The one Giles was compared to by Xander. But I realized that this vision quest was one I had to keep to myself, except for the few stray words running through my mind – "risks, you take" and "believe in your heart, you will", "death is your gift" and, lastly, "remember it". Remember what? A world with spaceships, skyscrapers and three-foot-tall aliens named Yoda? What the hell had I just put myself through? A sudden ache began in my neck and my sudden need to throttle my Watcher came back. And yet… this creature had known what I was. He understood what it was like to want more from yourself. He knew I loved selflessly. He knew I loved wholly.

And yet his words intrigued me. It was almost like a standing invitation to something, wasn't it? Hadn't he said there were wars? Hadn't he said that fighting demons and vampires wasn't enough for me anymore? Facing Glory was bad enough. Protection Dawn was the hardest thing I had ever done. But in that vision quest there had been something else. There was a word of hope, a whisper of promise. There was something more. I could be something more. This was beyond fighting gods from hell and protecting a key of mystical energy. This was about saving my soul, a soul I thought I had lost.

I suddenly lost the need to hurt my Watcher. Perhaps he had been right.

He was sitting on the hood of the car, sipping from a thermos when he saw me approach. He straightened up as I stopped in front of him, my arms crossed.

For a moment, we just stared at one another.

"You know," I said at last, walking past him to the car, smothering a yawn with my hand, "he does sound like you."

x-o-x

The End

_If you could be so kind as to leave your comments and critiques… thanks!_


	2. Selfless

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Selfless

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this. There is a little swearing and some animosity though.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars crossover. Apparently no longer a one-shot… I feel guilty about continuing this because I've read quite a few now. But hopefully this comes from another perspective. I honestly have no idea where it goes from here and I am perfectly content to leave it where it is.

**Summary: **Buffy's vision quest takes a whole different direction… and leaves her in a rather awkward position.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise as well as the authors of the individual novels. As I've read all of two, this story will follow the films more. If you want to give me recommendations on which Star Wars novels are worth reading, I would be happy to hear them. I'm just a poor post-college graduate working in a dangerous field. In other words, all you'll receive is my crappy car and my plaster angel collection.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars. The beginning bit is from 'The Gift', obviously.

**Timeline: **This takes place over the after 'The Gift'. In Star Wars verse, it's set between films two and three.

**Dedication: **This is for Grace, who has been my friend and beta for three years now. And, of course, this is for you who wanted just a little bit more. Obi-Wan makes an appearance.

x-o-x

**Selfless**

It was all there right before me. I could hear the demons screaming as they were brought forth. I could hear Dawn's racking sobs. And yet I was frozen in place.

This is what I am. This is what I do.

The red sun was beginning to rise.

And yet I couldn't help want to smile. It was going to be such a beautiful day. But I wasn't going to be there to enjoy it. I felt an overwhelming sense of calm take me. I heard Yoda's voice in my head telling me that I was full of selfless love and that death was my gift. Now I was beginning to understand what it meant. There was a time and place for everything and at this moment, I was exactly where I wanted to be. I was exactly where I _needed _to be.

The sky was beginning to get lighter. There were more things shooting out of the portal now, bad things. The dragon was only the beginning. Things that looked like tarantulas were now raining from the sky, only they were spiders the size of garbage can lids. My breath caught in my throat.

Was I ready for this?

Am I ready for this?

Yes.

I turned around to face Dawn, who was looking both terrified and tearful at the same time. As the tears dripped off of her chin, she gazed at me. And then our eyes met.

"Buffy, no," she whispered, her voice choked in a sob.

"Dawnie," I replied serenely, "I have to."

"No!" Her tone was a half-shout, but she was crying too hard to really mean it. She looked positively scared now. She was trembling, trying to hold on to the one sense of reality I had left. I wasn't about to let her take the fall, not when something this beautiful was wide open to me.

I reached out to touch her. She was still shaking, the poor thing. "Listen to me," I said, shaking her slightly. Her body tautened and she looked up at me. I saw her eyes widen. Another tear began to fall. "Please, there's not a lot of time… listen."

I took a deep breath and began. I had never been good with the speeches. That was something I reserved for Giles or, if I needed the humorous bit, Xander. But this was the last time I would take to her. I had to make it count. "Dawn, listen to me… listen. I love you. I will _always _love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles… tell Giles I figured it out. And… and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends." It was slowly breaking my heart that I would never see them again. I would never see Giles crack open another book… I would never hear Xander tell another joke… I would never see Willow perform a complicated charm that could one day save the world… I will see Dawn, _my _Dawn grow old… "You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong."

At that moment, Dawn was falling apart. Tears were pouring down her pale cheeks like rain. She was shaking so hard I was having a hard time holding onto her. "Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave… live..." I bent over and kissed her cheek, touching her tearful face for the last time, "for me."

And then I let her go. I turned and I ran, knowing that I was already wasting precious seconds. Everything that I had ever fought for was running through my head. Every single mistake I had ever made was coming back to haunt me in this moment. My life was flashing before my eyes even as I reached the end of the platform.

I could feel my body fall only a short distance before I felt something strong rip through my body like a strong electrical current. I screamed just as images came to my mind. I saw Dawn coming home in Mom's arms from the hospital. I saw my Mom and Dad arguing as I sat on the stairs, crying my heart out. I saw my first Homecoming parade with my mother cheering me on as they placed the crown on my head. I saw Angel smile at me for the first time… heard his soft 'I love you'. I saw Willow and Xander at my side as we prepared to take on the Mayor. I saw Faith staring at me as I pulled the dagger from her abdomen, hearing her rasp 'You did it… you killed me'. I saw the helicopter flying away with Riley inside. I saw Anya wrestling with Olaf the Troll. I saw Spike staring at me with eyes filled with either love or lust because I had no idea what he really felt. I saw Giles staring at me softly after I told him that I would quit if Dawn died. I saw my Mom's dead body…

The pain was beyond tolerable. I felt it prickle into every orifice. It was taking my body. This was the price I paid. I had done everything I could.

And then, at last, I saw a white light.

And everything turned to darkness.

x-o-x

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar room.

I felt my jaw drop. There was a set of all-too-familiar windows. There were the all-too-familiar spaceships.

How in the hell did I get back here? "… the hell?" I whispered, looking around. I found my face pressed up against the glass, gazing out at a world that so didn't belong to me. Yes, those were spaceships up there. They appeared to be zooming in what looked like traffic lanes. There were many levels, too. It was like the road-less I-10 from hell. Pulling back, I felt the strangest sensation.

Glancing down, I saw that I was standing in the middle of a chair.

I screamed, scampering backwards while gasping, only to feel another strange sensation.

I looked behind me. I was halfway _through _a window.

"What is this?" I screamed, rushing forward only to find myself standing in a chair again. I quickly jumped aside as though I was being contaminated. I'm not so stupid to realize that this is something not normal that shouldn't be happening. I know I haven't been feeling neglected or ignored as of late, so I don't know what is happening. But I do know I'm not exactly standing out. I lean down to touch my stomach. Did my hand just pass _through _my stomach?

I screamed again. Obviously no one can hear me because the room is still empty and there aren't any people breaking down the doors to figure out who was screaming bloody murder in… what room was I in? I looked around again. This wasn't the same room, was it? The other room was so small. This room was much larger, with twelve chairs placed in a perfect circle.

And there I am, standing there with my hand inside my stomach. I quickly pulled it out, staring at it. It looked like my hand. I started to wave it around a bit. It still looked like my hand. But I apparently was as see-through as my body was go-through. I was a ghost and I had no idea why.

I really wished Yoda was here to help me out right about now. Though he sounded like a preacher who had a terrible misuse of adjectives, I had to do something.

I was about to turn from the room and search for the stunted green Kermit-voiced… I still had no idea what to call him… when a glitter of something caught my eye. It was silver and it was lying on the floor in the middle of the twelve chairs. Just as I took my first step towards it, I heard a voice behind me.

"What's this?"

And then I felt this so-called person belonging to the masculine voice walk right through me. I shuddered as he suddenly appeared in front of me, his rear concealed by a long, boring brown cloak. That was one of the most unpleasant experiences I had recalled… this idiot had just walked through me! No one walks through me! Most people are afraid of me! What the heck was this?

He was bending down now. From this angle, his rear end suddenly didn't look so bad.

"It looks old."

He was either talking about the floor or else he had found the silver I had seen. Pouting slightly, I walked alongside him until I stood at his side. He was cradling something in his hands and appeared confused. It wasn't much of a comforting thought. But when I saw what he was holding, I found myself standing with my jaw open again.

It was a cross, an oversized silver cross with a chain. Large black stones adorned the center and each point. It was a beautiful ornament, but far too large for a necklace. Glancing down at my top and pants, I also knew that it wouldn't accessorize what I was wearing in the least. That thing had to weigh at least five pounds!

The man was still staring at it, a stumped look on his face. "This wasn't here awhile ago," he murmured as though to himself. Damned Slayer hearing… I could hear every word, even if he was just muttering it under his breath. "I wonder what it is."

I was starting to get a headache, which was a feat in itself as I appeared to be both dead and seeing as I lacked a self to belong to, I had no brain that would get mushy. This whole ghost thing is confusing the heck out of me and I still don't know what to do. I want to throttle the man standing in front of me, even though he was a hottie. But he had made a bad first impression by walking through me. If he was with the Force and all that as Yoda had said that most of these people in this building were, why couldn't he sense that a ghost was standing in front of him, pushing her hands through her head in an attempt to comfort a headache?

"I better take this to Yoda."

My head snapped up as the figure turned around and began walking away. I quickly hastened after him, which took a surprisingly short amount of time. Sometimes I really forgot how strong I am. The doors closed behind him. But before I could figure out how to open them back up, I just walked through them. It was one thing ducking my rear end out a window and standing in the middle of a chair. There was something even more chilling about walking through a solid wall. But the figure was still walking and I had no choice but to follow. I had to find Yoda and demand what the hell was going on. Hopefully he would be able to see me.

The figure continued down a corridor. Bright peals of sunlight fell across the marble floor. I was so busy following this man around that I hadn't stopped to admire the scenery. Apparently Yoda wasn't the only ET-figure walking around. Did that guy have horns sticking out of his head? And that person… was she actually blue?

As I was people watching, I apparently wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I ended up walking through some kid who gazed backwards, frowning after I had already gone. I went straight through a column and only realized it when I could taste the concrete in my mouth. At least my taste buds were coming back, but the pillar tasted salty. Frowning, I saw the figure suddenly disappear into a crowd of people. Sighing, I started running again, straight through the crowd of people.

This was just apparently not my day.

At the foot of the stairs, the man suddenly stopped. He was staring to his left and wearing yet another frown. I wanted to beg him to smile once, just once. He would look so much better than wearing that constipated look. He suddenly opened his mouth, shouting "Anakin!" As he did so, he tucked the cross into his robes. Well, well, I thought, smirking to myself. This really was fascinating.

"Master Kenobi," a breathless voice gasped behind me. Before I knew it, I felt yet another person walk through me and stop, panting, right before the man called Kenobi.

"What is it Anakin?" the man asked in a voice of well-practiced patience. He sounded like Giles. Were all of these people going to sound like Giles? I really hope the guy with tentacles coming out of his head sounded different than Giles because he looked like he would talk in that Billy-the-bass voice. But before I could ponder this, the young man in front of me spoke again.

"Master Windu has been searching for you," this Anakin replied. Annoyed, I stepped around him and found my jaw dropping for the third time in what seemed like an eternity… fifteen minutes. He looked younger than the bearded man, and yet there was something equally powerful about him. My vibes picked it up on this Kenobi guy. But my spidey sense was positively overwhelmed as I gazed at Anakin.

The man watched as Anakin reached up to touch his face, his eyes suddenly unfocused. What neither realized was that I was holding my hand just above his cheek, admiring the scar set just above his eye. "Wicked," I whispered. Anakin's hand suddenly reached up and hovered an inch or so above mine. I held my breath for what seemed like an eternity before he dropped his hand again.

"I will see to him," Kenobi replied, bowing his head respectfully. I frowned as I caught my first good look at the older man. I didn't realize I liked what I saw until he had traveled through me again. "However, there is something I must take up with Master Yoda."

"He's with the Younglings," Anakin replied. "If there isn't anything else…"

"You may go," Kenobi said, his voice tinged with amusement. "I think you've seen enough these past few weeks."

Anakin smiled grimly and nodded before stalking off. This time, I dove behind Kenobi before Anakin could walk through me again. But I couldn't resist watching as he walked away. He, too, had a very nice rear view.

I heard footsteps and saw Kenobi now jogging lightly up the steps. Knowing that I needed to follow him, I sighed and took my first step upwards.

And then I lost the ground completely.

Screaming my head off was doing nothing, I thought as I floated through the bottom of the staircase above me. I was a ghost. I was an actual Casper ghost, all with the floaty and the transparency. This was impossible!

And I thought that being back here meant something more! I was dead, for crying out loud. And I was apparently going to float through the ceiling (if such a thing existed) and disappear into the stars. Oh, great. I would probably get stuck in the traffic jam from hell, too.

My feet suddenly touched the ground again. I was now completely bathed in sunlight. Turning my head, I saw a window and moved towards it. But the more I found myself searching for my reflection, the more I realized how invisible I was.

Someone was going to seriously pay for doing this to me. I voted Giles, but as I was dead torturing my Watcher seemed like a really faraway idea.

"Master Yoda!"

My ears perked up.

"Younglings! Younglings! Come, Master Obi-Wan has."

Obi-Wan? But hadn't Anakin called him Kenobi?

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," I heard him speak inside. Ducking my head through the wall, I saw a few dozen students wearing military hats and holding what looked like long silver sticks. Yoda was perched on his pouf, staring at Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was gazing at the Younglings and looking as though he were having second thoughts. My second thought came fast and furious… 'don't you dare lose your nerve now'.

I opened my eyes again. Yoda was staring straight at the wall. Obi-Wan slowly swung his gaze around to stare at the same part. Yoda appeared to be concentrating. Obi-Wan was frowning with that constipated look on his face again. I sighed. They weren't looking at me, no. They were looking at the other side of the door. Yoda didn't know I was there. I looked like a deer head or something perched on the wall. Pulling my head out, I took a deep breath and plunged into the room. It was like stepping through a sheet of ice water. Traveling through things, especially wall-like things, was not my favorite way of traveling. And neither was my feet floating upwards. Or any other part of me floating upwards.

But part of me was disappointed to. Even as Obi-Wan plunged his hand inside his robes, feeling the item within, I could sense his rather troubling thoughts… 'should I show Yoda this and possibly get an explanation? Or should I chicken out and ignore the fact there's a selfless ghost possessing this great and powerful building?' I almost screamed again. Then I thought that maybe Yoda would hear me.

He glanced down, apparently missing the fact I was jumping up and down, waving my arms like a lunatic and screaming lyrics from the Indigo Girls. Well, I wasn't exactly jumping up and down. My body bounced from the floor until my head went through the top of the ceiling, and then I would wiggle my way back down. After my third attempt, I closed my mouth. No use collapsing my non-existence vocal cords on something Yoda couldn't hear anyway. And he _had _been the smart one.

Obi-Wan just glanced at Yoda and Yoda glanced back at Obi-Wan. For a moment, I thought it was a staring contest. Then Obi-Wan looked away. With his back to the others and yet facing me, he pulled the object from his robes, staring at it. If he wasn't going to do anything with it, I was going to do something. I had to do something. I had no idea what to do. I was just standing here completely invisible while all these weirdoes with the Force just looked around as though nothing was bothering them. Why didn't they sense me? Yoda said I had a lot of power. Even though I was dead, inspirited and a ghost he should still sense something. I tried walking towards him for once and caught the edge of Obi-Wan's shoulder.

Now standing directly in front of Yoda and waving my hands in his face, he continued to blink through me as though he sensed nothing.

But what I didn't realize was that Obi-Wan suddenly turned around, frowning again. "I sensed something."

"Sense it too, I can."

My hand froze in mid-air and I let it fall to my side. Yoda's eyes suddenly went to the cross. "What is that?"

"I found it in the Council room," Obi-Wan said, passing the artifact through me to hand to Yoda. Glancing at the arm sticking out of my chest, I sighed, placing my hands on my hips. This was beyond annoying now. This was most infuriating! "It wasn't there when the Council met this morning."

Yoda held it in his hands as he stared at it. I noticed then he had small hands. I held up my own hand and stared at it.

And then Yoda stared straight at me, lifting his gaze until they met my eyes. His ears drooped slightly as he glanced down again, passing the cross back through my chest. "Dropped, it must have been," Yoda said quietly.

Obi-Wan seemed appeased by this. "Should I attempt to find the owner of this?" he asked, waving the cross around.

Yoda shook his head ever-so-slightly. "Find that it belongs to you, you will."

"This is mine?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning again.

"Yes."

"How is that so?"

"Drawn to it, you were. Claimed it, you have."

What was he getting at…?

"Are you saying that this belongs to me?"

He was really a smart one, wasn't he?

"What belongs with it belongs to you."

Oh, my God.

"What belongs with it? Master Yoda, what do you mean?"

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Ohmigosh.

"Learn you will. See soon you may." Yoda turned his attention back to the Younglings. "Prepare them now, I must."

Way to get yourself out of trouble, buddy.

Obi-Wan quickly slipped the cross back into his pocket. "Thank you, Master." He turned and left the room.

Heaving a deep sigh, I glared at Yoda. But Yoda wasn't watching the Younglings. He was looking at me. He nodded ever so slightly before turning to the 'Younglings'. Well, they certainly looked bite-sized. Some were not human. One had tentacles. Another had horns that looked like long pigtails over their shoulders. And one was bright green. With a sigh, I turned and walked back through the doors. There really was nothing more I could do. I had no body. I had no voice. All I had were my memories and apparently the ability to travel through solid matter, which included people. Obi-Wan was hurrying away again. I hastened after him. I was about to start shouting again when a figure suddenly appeared. It was Anakin. Again.

At least seeing that rather adorable face cheered me ever so slightly. "Master, what is it?"

"Yoda is in a particularly cryptic mood today, don't you think?" Obi-Wan sounded tired now.

Anakin just looked confused. Apparently it was a personality trait common with us powerful beings. "Master Windu…"

"On my way."

I just shook my head as they parted in opposite directions. "Hey!" I shouted angrily. "I'm standing right here!"

And yet, even as powerful beings kept walking around me (I just jumped out of the way before they could walk through me), I seemed to be the only person who could hear my voice.

Oh, I really, really wasn't happy. And if someone didn't say something soon, I was going to attack someone. I really was. I don't care if I pulled an exorcist. This was beyond incredible. These people apparently had hypersensitivity when it came to the unknown. Why couldn't they sense me?

"You should follow him."

I let out a cry and spun around to see a pearly white figure standing over my shoulder, smiling serenely. Crying out, I began smacking his arm. He winced at every single blow I dealt to him until his back was to the window. Sunlight was apparently floating through both of us, yet I didn't see his shadow either. "Don't…" I moaned, smacking him across the chest, "do… that!"

"I am sorry," he said, quickly sidestepping my last slap. It was then I realized that I had made contact with him. My hand had not gone through him. Something was even more off.

"What is this?" I demanded, placing my hands just over my hips. I was almost afraid to touch myself. "What am I? Who are you? And why can I touch you?"

"If you promise to calm down, I will explain everything," the figure replied. "Will you please desist from hitting me?"

My jaw dropped again. I just couldn't help it. "Okay, I'll stop with the hitting," I promised him, my eyes narrowing. "But you have to explain to me why I can see you and hurt you."

"You are stronger than you realize."

"So you know who I am."

"I know some. Yoda told me more."

"I _knew _he would get dragged into this sooner or later," I accused, advancing on him. I saw his eyes widen warily. "What is going on?"

I saw the man glance up, his eyes twinkling. I suddenly felt as though something had wrapped itself around my navel. My feet were floating backwards without my permission. I turned my harshest glare on him. He just smiled that serene smile and lifted his hand in a farewell wave. "You will soon see."

"Stop it with the cryptic bull!" I shouted as the distance continued to grow between us. "I am _so _not finished with you yet!"

"Perhaps not," the man said, now beaming rather smartly, "but your form would suggest otherwise."

"Stop it," I muttered at my abdomen. I had nothing to swat at as my hands kept swishing through the place were my navel would be. "Oh, this is so not over!"

"It wasn't meant to be over. This is only the beginning."

I glanced up and met his eyes. "You and me," I murmured as I felt my body being jerked upwards towards the ceiling again. "So not over, you get it?"

I had one last chance to see his laughing face before I was yanked through the ceiling and onto the next level as Obi-Wan's feet pounded across my skull. I found my arms against the floor and tapped my fingernails against the air dryly. This really wasn't my day. And to think it would have been beautiful.

x-o-x


	3. Dead Girl Walking

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Dead Girl Walking

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this. There is a little swearing and some animosity though.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars crossover. I still have no direction with this story, no real plot as you can soon see. I'd be perfectly happy to end this here.

**Summary: **Buffy's life has gone from bad to worse as she discovers she's not the only ghost haunting the Jedi Temple.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise as well as the authors of the individual novels. As I've read all of two, this story will follow the films more. If you want to give me recommendations on which Star Wars novels are worth reading, I would be happy to hear them. I'm just a poor post-college graduate working in a dangerous field.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Timeline: **This takes place over the after 'The Gift'. In Star Wars verse, it's set between films two and three.

**Dedication: **This is still for Grace, who has been my friend and beta for three years now.

x-o-x

**Dead Girl Walking**

I am not a happy Slayer.

I have been dragged through ceilings, walls and doors. I have been walked through my adult males, females and creatures I didn't know existed. I felt like I was landed on Mars and yet… spaceships. My reality check was the spaceship that just soared by three feet behind me. My butt is still hanging out a window. I'm stick in a room that some tall black guy just called the 'war room'. Really? Even though I can see everything perfectly clear, there is no war in this room. There is just this table that looks a cross between a craps table and air hockey. And as these Jedi seem to have absolutely no sense of fun whatsoever, I doubt they've even heard of air hockey or craps. Too bad. I could have at least picked a side.

Right now, I'm really not liking any of them.

I took a few steps to the other side of the stupidest one of them all – Obi-Wan Kenobi. For being someone that a lot of people seemed to respect, he was totally clueless. No matter how many times I smacked him, my arm kept going through his body. He would look at me and frown as though trying to see something just outside his reality.

Well. Duh.

And where was the other glowy man, the one with the long hair that could actually see me? The only one around here who seemed to be able to sense my presence was Yoda and he was perfectly happy to ignore me for something called a council meeting. I was kind of interested in what they had to say. And then I stood there like an idiot while they discussed a war.

They were even worse than _my _Council. They seemed smart enough, sure. But there was nothing there. Even the weird glowing beings that were apparently being projected from some other planet seemed quite, what was the word, odd? One guy looked like the squid baby that poor Will Smith had to catch in the MIB movie. One girl looked like a circus freak in a headdress. The tall black guy reminded me of someone else. Yoda just sat there. His eyes were cast downwards. I was so tempted to run over and smack my hand through his head and make him notice me.

I may be a little too used to being the center of attention. For years I commanded the respect of my peers, family and friends. They fought for me.

Now I sort of feel out of my element. Why? I'm a bloody ghost. I can't do anything except throw temper tantrums that no one could see. I apparently can't be more than a hundred feet away from this Kenobi guy and that in itself has led to a few interesting moments. Watching this guy sleep is worse than watching paint dry. At least then I'd be able to add more paint. Or dump it over Kenobi's head. Either way, I am starting to get bored and there is nothing I can do about it.

As soon as the Council meeting was adjourned, I stormed over to Yoda who looked perfectly happy to stand up and leave the room. He seemed to stop though as he sensed my anger, frustration and apparent lack of caring. He just solemnly blinked down at the ground, his ears perking slightly. "Without me, you go on," he said quietly to the tall dark-skinned man who turned back to frown puzzled at him. "Be with you, I will."

"I will see you then," the dark-skinned man said in his most dramatic voice as he swept regally out of the room. Like a King or something, only without the pomp.

I turned my attention back to the creature now staring at my waist. I immediately felt my body tense at how wrong that thought suddenly seemed. But it cheered me to know that I was no longer the shortest being. Or apparently the oldest... in my time in this Temple place so far, I have learned that Yoda is nearly nine hundred years old.

For a Slayer who has been dead twice, I felt that nine hundred years was quite impressive.

"Speak, you must," Yoda said. His voice was so soft that I felt as though it were just a mere whisper. "Feel you, I can."

"I am here," I retorted, feeling my little ghost body bend down to glare at him. "I've been here for three days now and all you've done is ignore me! No one else can see me but you."

"True, that is not," Yoda replied, glancing at my face.

"Well, Kenobi sure as hell can't see me!" I exploded, my hands flying through my hips. "You told him to keep my amulet. Now wherever he goes, I go! Do you know how annoying that is? The man doesn't have a clue!"

"Not keen to this change the Force, he is not."

"You think?"

Yoda at last seemed to sense my frustration. "Darkness is no path to follow," he murmured, his ears drooping as he gazed back at the perfect marble floor. "Frustration… anger… fear… lead to the dark side, such emotions will."

"What would you have me do? Stay here and rot until someone finally gets the hint this place is haunted?"

"By the living Force, always."

I snorted. It must have been amusing to him because he actually looked up at me again.

"Patience you must have."

"I'm not patient. I'm not anything except a ghost. You're the only one who can see me. If I were one of these Jedi I would have seen me by now! Is it because I'm a girl? Because, you know, that's really, really dumb…"

"It is not," Yoda replied, starting to move forward again. As he did, he jabbed his stout little walking stick through my foot.

"Can you do anything?" I pleaded, turning back after attempting to put my foot through his bottom. It obviously didn't work and he stopped, half-turning back.

"Patience you must have," he said again, his voice sounding more firm. "Realize, you soon will what you do, you must."

Okay. That made no sense to me. I just watched as he left. And then Obi-Wan Kenobi was apparently on the move because my body suddenly flew downwards again at a rather nauseating rate of speed. I landed in the beautifully sunlit corridors just as Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped beside me. I just stared at him, loathing everything about his surly glare to those rather nice eyes. Yeah, he had nice eyes. He had other nice parts too that I alone have been privileged to see. But his eyes were the only visible part at the moment.

And he was looking constipated again.

"Master."

"Anakin."

Ooh. I turned and looked and there he was. The man with the fascinating scar. He had a pretty face. His eyes weren't bad, but as my eyes traveled, the rest of him appeared _just fine. _

"Has the Council given you an order?"

"Indeed. We are to depart in the morning so get some rest. There is much to accomplish on this mission. We'll get the full briefing from Cody in the morning."

Cody? At last… a name that was somewhat recognizable.

"Yes, Master."

"And for the last time, it's Obi-Wan. I'm no longer your Master."

"But you are my mentor," Anakin replied with a smile. He had a really nice smile.

Obi-Wan smiled himself. At last, something that didn't make him look like a grumpy old great-uncle. "I am humbled by your words, Anakin. Be prepared for tomorrow. I must attend to something else."

The possibility of a field trip was actually sort of endearing. Three days of following this guy around… I was willing to actually ride the nice spaceships. As Anakin nodded and swept away, I was once again privileged to another posterior view. Gently sighing, I turned to walk away only to come face-to-face with the other ghost.

For the first time in three days, he was standing right before me.

"Hello."

I glared up at him. He was very tall. "The next time you decide to do that, a little warning might be nice. You need to wear a bell or something."

He looked back down at me, his eyes pinching in that politely puzzled expression that Obi-Wan seemed to damned famous for. "Are you well?"

"As well as a dead girl walking can be," I replied. Oh, I was such sass.

"You are far from dead, Buffy Summers," the man replied, looking rather amused by my sarcasm. After he said my name, I must have given him some indication of surprise. "Yes, I do know who you are. I would explain, but the reason is rather complex. _We, _rather, know your name and your story has been brought to our attention. I am a figment of the Living Force, as are you standing there."

"I'm a ghost," I replied, my voice half a mumble. I wasn't that blonde, was I? This wasn't the first time I heard about the Living Force either. It sounded like something a zombie would do. "Aren't I? I mean, I can go through things and through people and apparently the only person who can see me is Yoda. He isn't a real person. He's too little. And he's green."

"He is a far greater being than you could ever hope to be."

Ouch. That was a bit below the belt. He apparently caught my wince though because he continued rather abruptly. "His age has him at great skills irregardless of whatever you have done in your reality."

"My reality?" I gasped. "I beat a Hellgod, a vampire Master, a demon snake, a giant biological Frankenstein and my own personal demons. I would hardly call that not being the best being in my field. God, I _died _for my sister. I sacrificed everything I was just so she could live."

Before I knew it, I was ranting.

"I will never see Dawn grow up. I will never see her with her first boyfriend or—or… well, I'll never be able to physically threaten her first boyfriend. I'll never graduate from college. I'll never see my friends get married! I'll never have the privilege of knowing that everyone I knew and loved is safe. And I'll never know why they all followed me so blindly… it was the strangest thing. I've never felt more grateful for what they gave to me now that I'm, well, _dead _and can't get any anymore. I mean, you're one with the Living Force, right? How does it feel?"

The man was studying me rather cautiously. At last, he spoke. "You are the only one who knows of my existence. When I was alive, I had a great respect amongst those who no longer kept to the old, but led with the new. We are part of a new league of Jedi, Buffy Summers. A Jedi of old relies on the Force and only the voice of the Force. The new rely on their passion. Their strength. Themselves. You have given your life selflessly because that is who you are. You have never been less capable of loving or more capable of giving. You are life and death wrapped in one. It is for this reason and this reason alone that you have journeyed here."

"I thought it was because Yoda was my spirit guide."

"The responsibility of the spirit guide was transferred to Yoda when your guardian said it was so," the man replied, his gaze turning serious. "As for being grateful for what you had, they were attachments. A Jedi never has possessions. They seek to give their life for others, to sacrifice their beings for others using their strength to protect them. We are not so unlike now, are we?"

"I… I guess not." This was starting to make sense now. At least I was finally figuring out who the hell this Council was.

And then I felt that sudden jerk behind my navel again. Obi-Wan must be jetting away at warp speed. Damn it.

"You must accept your fate before the others will see you."

"What about the amulet?" I rasped. He smirked again and I knew this must look really stupid because I felt like I was doing a backwards dance with my legs kicking out behind me. I couldn't help it. I didn't exactly want to leave. "The cross that Obi-Wan now carries?"

"A remnant of your past life to be given unto your new," the man replied with a wave of his hand. "It is no consequence."

"By why General Constipated? Why on Earth did he get my cross? Why couldn't it have gone to someone with, say, brains? Someone like Yoda? Or the black guy?" I realized I was shouting now as the distance between us grew. I glared upwards as my feet left the ground. Obi-Wan. Why, why, why did he feel like moving so damned fast if this place was as well-protected as it was?

"For the record, this is Coruscant and not Earth," the man replied, looking even more amused. "And Master Windu is another of the great Jedi." He paused. "Perhaps you should give Obi-Wan a chance. He may surprise you."

"Right," I snapped as my body flew upwards towards the ceiling. "As if I have any choice—"

My voice was cut off as I sprang through the ceiling and through a group of Jedi younglings. Younglings, not kids. Well… this was certainly getting complicated. I still didn't know who this man was except he was probably some dead Jedi getting his kicks by sending a poor helpless Slayer in as a ghost. There was nothing for me here. There was nothing explaining about what I was supposed to do other than follow around Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I suddenly froze as I realized where I had been dragged. I was outdoors. There were a collection of fancy spaceships. Obi-Wan was neatly settling into one before pulling the steering column into his lap.

Crap. I hurried over and quickly threw myself into the empty seat next to him. There was no way he was going to drag me across this planet in mid-air! I at least deserved to sit.

The spaceship neatly reversed before heading upwards. Though I was screaming bloody murder, he obviously didn't pick up on it. He just kept muttering about why flying was for droids and why he was stuck doing this mission in the first place.

Like he has a choice. He could just say no. I, on the other hand, am just a walking dead girl. A dead girl walking. A dead girl riding in a speeder at a speed that would make my former driving instructor cringe. Oh, well. At least this was fun. I was out of that building. I glanced behind me and saw what looked like some historical temple disappearing into the sunset. Tossing my hair back, I whooped. I was in a badass speeder with a guy driving at the speed of light. This was freedom. This was ecstasy. This was completely insane.

Obi-Wan suddenly dipped the speeder at an angle that I could see the ground rising quickly such that the speeder could kiss it if it so desired. Pulling back up, he sped down and parked the speeder. Leaping out with all the grace of a cat, he continued on his merry way, preferring to travel on foot. Standing on wobbling sea legs, I just tossed off the feeling of wanting to throttle the Jedi Master and followed close behind.

Something the man said suddenly struck me. Accept my fate? He may have well just told me to kiss the sky. Although if Obi-Wan's driving was any indication, that may actually happen.

He was disappearing into a place with a bunch of aliens making strange faces. I followed inside just in time to see a pinkish haze. There was a table. And there were groups of aliens making strange faces. Some were pointing at a standing figure and making clicking noises.

This was so beyond my comprehension that I scampered behind Obi-Wan. Even though these… these things couldn't see me, I felt powerless. I didn't have my Slayer strength to back me up. I didn't have anything to back me up.

Was this what it was like to feel completely helpless?

Did I have to accept my fate as some fallen heroine trapped in Jedi-land as some portion of the Living Force?

Could I do this?

Hell, I had to do this. As Obi-Wan neatly plucked one of the beings out and dragged him to a corner, I took the vacated chair and stared at the table. Now this was more like it. Poker… I didn't know the game myself but as I stared at the back of the cards, they were suddenly revealed to me. With squiggly lines and pointing arrows and other weird assorted shapes that made no sense to me. Oh, well. At least I could see through cards.

Wait… I could see through the cards?

My hand reached down and touched the felt. I could feel the chill of the table as my hand moved through it. I lifted my hand back up and moved it to an ashtray that seemed to have been built in. My hand reached down and gently hovered an inch or so above a smoldering cigar. I could feel that cigar. I could taste the smooth taste of it in the back of my mouth. The pink smoke seemed to wane instantly as I imagined the greenish haze this cigar would produce.

A little smoking stick… such a small thing and yet I could feel it. I could sense it.

I glanced up at the aliens. One was green and short and kept speaking in random clicks and gestured wildly, a thin cigarette trailing out of the corner of his mouth. Looking at him, I could sense something. I sensed that he was displeased about the lack of his own species at the table. He was also allergic to the pink smoke hovering inches above the table.

What was this?

Before I could even begin to decipher the others, my body drew backwards through the chair and the wall. Obi-Wan was striding down the corridor with his head bent, the familiar frown on his face.

Well, I certainly couldn't ask him what I was feeling or sensing. I felt like a psychic or something.

Yoda. I had to ask Yoda. Or the dead ghost guy. Why was it that he could only appear to me in the temple? Maybe he could appear elsewhere.

"Hey!" I shouted, jumping up and down. "Hey! You with the ghost face, get down here! I want to talk to you!"

"You called?"

I could hear his voice and yet he wasn't there. This was totally weird. I felt like it was something I should slay and yet, well, I couldn't exactly pull a stake from my non-existent body now, could I?

"What is this?"

"This?"

"This! What I'm doing… what is it? I can sense things. I sense people. I sense people doing things. What is this?"

"You are using your gift."

"The Living Force, right?"

"Not yet, but it is close. You are starting to act like half of the warrior you once were. You may not have been aware of all of your gifts, but I believe this is only the beginning."

The man's words hung with me even as Obi-Wan continued on his tasks. I just sat in the spaceship as he left, or floated gently through more things as he moved about. I wasn't really paying attention to him. I kept thinking about what the man had said. I hadn't been aware of my gifts? I was acting like half a Slayer? I felt like a blind person who had just been handed a book.

And then it struck me. I was being given the chance to use the gifts I had been given before I could kill. I could sense things from people, whether they were evil or not. I could feel things that others could not. What I once thought was a part of my calling suddenly turned into something so much more.

As Obi-Wan parked the speeder, I stumbled into the Temple behind him. I wasn't aware of floating through anything until I heard a sharp voice from behind him. And then Anakin walked through me again.

"Master, Commander Cody said he is prepared for tomorrow."

"That is good news," Obi-Wan replied. "I have also completed my tasks and must be seen to the war room."

As Obi-Wan walked away, I followed him. For some reason, though I despised the fact my non corporeal body was tied to his flesh and blood I realized that he was something of a protector to me. I couldn't help but trust him.

"Master," Anakin said, moving after me. I watched as he stopped at my side and then looked at me, really looked at me. "Did you know that there's a girl standing behind you?"

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, turning around with his usual look of puzzlement.

And it just keeps on getting better, I tell myself.

Now things are about to get complicated.

x-o-x

_I appreciate comments, suggestions, flames, compliments and just about everything else you could whip my way. Thank you for reading!_


	4. If I Could Only See Her Face

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **If I Could Only See Her Face

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars crossover. Once a drabble, it has now apparently exploded. Oh my gosh, I think this is a plot!

**Summary: **One Jedi can see her. The other just thinks his former Padawan is acting psychotic. Buffy just thinks the whole Powers That Be are screwing her over again.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate working in a dangerous field. I just have my radar.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Timeline: **This takes place over the after 'The Gift'. In Star Wars verse, it's set between films two and three.

**Dedication: **This is still for Grace, who has been my friend and beta for three years now. This is also for those of you who appreciate the story.

**Notes: **Yeah, Buffy's glowing compatriot is Qui-Gon Jinn. After his rather abrupt mentioning in the film, I figured he deserved better. The novel did it much, much better. He was one of the two reasons I continued this. It should be noted that there is a lot of dialogue in this chapter. It took too long to do it the other way. I know I have a zillion other things I could be writing. But this comes almost naturally. I will get other projects done, I promise.

x-o-x

**If I Could Only See Her Face**

"Where?"

"Where, Master?"

_Where?_

"What are you going on about, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, his soft expression of puzzlement turning into a rather bemused smirk as he stared at some point to my left.

"She… she's standing right there!" Anakin cried, pointing at me. Obi-Wan seemed to look where he was pointing and his bemused look intensified.

"He obviously can't see me," I decided to speak, turning to glare at Anakin. His eyes darkened as he saw that I actually understood him. Well, I may be a blonde, but at least I'm not completely mental. "I guess you're it."

"It was not by choice," he replied, folding his arms. Obi-Wan's expression of bemusement seemed to melt because he was watching his former Padawan talk to thin air. I couldn't blame him a bit. "Who are you?"

"Who are _you?" _I was being a smartass. I couldn't help it. How many days had I been here without a proper explanation? How many days had I been standing here without a change of my clothes or a shower with which to wash all this Jedi stench off?

"Anakin Skywalker," he replied, a defensive tone to his voice.

I snorted derisively, folding my arms to mimic his pose. "All right, _Anakin_… can you tell me why I'm here?"

"You… you don't know?"

"Sure don't."

"Anakin, what is this?"

"It's okay, Anakin. He can't _see me_."

"But… wait, Master," Anakin said, holding a hand out to Obi-Wan to stop him from asking any more stupid questions. He turned back to face me. "Who are you?"

"Dead, obviously. Couldn't you tell that yourself?" I could tell my answers were frustrating him because he stomped his foot down and started prancing a bit. What a pony.

"Can you understand me?"

"The way I see it, you don't have horns growing out of your ears. You're not blue in color. You don't waddle unless there is some part of you I haven't seen yet…" My eyes slid over to Obi-Wan and my smirk widened. "Unlike some people…"

"Master…"

"Oh, don't tell him!" I snapped, quickly jumping between him and Obi-Wan. "You're no fun."

"You call this fun?" he asked weakly. "What exactly are you doing here?"

Okay. I'm about at my own wit's end here. It was time to blow up… Buffy-style. "Why don't you tell me?" I replied quietly. "I opened my eyes and suddenly I was in your Council room. What kind of Council do you morons have anyway? All talk and no action? At least my Council bossed me around, giving me orders until I fired their sorry butts. Next thing I know, I'm standing in the middle of a chair. Then my butt's hanging out the window. And then Obi-Wan over here decides to play curious and walks right through me. Do you know how many people have been walking through me?"

"I…" Words utterly failed him. He hadn't heard a good, long rant in a long time, obviously.

"Fifty six… counting you _four _times. Four times! How can you walk through someone four times and not realize they're not there? Do I look like a wall to you?"

"Anakin, who are you talking to?"

"Sorry, Master… but the who is a she and I think she is rather testy."

"You're damned right I'm testy!" I shouted, stomping my foot through the floor. "All this time the only person who knows I'm here is Yoda and he won't do a damn thing about it! All he says is that I belong to him! The fate of me, the person who gave her life for her stupid world is resting on a Jedi that doesn't even know I exist!"

Anakin's fear must have shown in his face because Obi-Wan stepped closer to him. "What does she look like?"

"She's… human. I'm not sensing any deception from her."

"Well, duh! Do I look like a Yoda to you? Do I look green or do I have horns growing out of the top of my head?"

Anakin's eyebrows lifted slightly and he frowned before looking down. "What do you mean about the other part?"

"The part where I belong to him?"

"Yes, that part." Obi-Wan stared hard at his former Padawan.

"He found something on the floor of the chamber. He took it to Yoda. Yoda told him that the something belongs to him. He also told him that _I _belong to him. Do you know what I am?"

"Not remotely."

"Anakin…"

"Not _now, _Master."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" Anakin was starting to look as grumpy as Obi-Wan, who was looking pretty putout about being told to shut up. Well, if he could have heard me, I would have made it obvious to him. Too bad I didn't have use of my left hook now. They both would have gotten some.

"Calling him Master."

"He is my Master and mentor. I was once his student."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…"

"What is your name?"

"Why do you ask? I'm just a ghost. Why don't you call me that? Call me Ghost."

"Because you are not a ghost."

"Oh yeah?" I walked forward. Anakin tensed slightly as he stood there, but my hand went harmlessly through his face and his chest. "Do I look like I can harm you?"

"Your words are sharp."

"That's the least of your problems."

"Anakin…"

"Master…" Anakin slowly turned to Obi-Wan. "She said you found something… something in the Council chambers. You took it to Master Yoda and he said that whatever it was belonged to you. He also said that whatever went with it belongs to you. This… this woman belongs to you."

Oh, way to go junior. He's going to trust you now.

"I… Anakin, I can't see her face. If I could only see her face, I would be able to—"

"And you would be able to do what?" I asked him curiously. I knew he couldn't hear me. But that look on Anakin's face was priceless. "All you can do is insult me to my face and I hate to say it, but I'm above that."

"Please, stop talking."

"I can't do anything else," I said, turning to Anakin with a pout. "I mean, I can walk through you, that column over there, the windows… but then I'd be forced back. You see… I can't go anywhere he doesn't go."

There was a sudden flash of understanding in Anakin's eyes as he turned back to Obi-Wan, dragging the man backwards. "Obi-Wan…"

"Anakin, you look like you're talking to thin air," Obi-Wan hissed into his shoulder. "If you are talking to someone…"

"I'm talking to her," Anakin replied in a low voice. "And what she said is making sense. You picked up something and Yoda said it belonged to you."

"I picked up a cross, but I… oh…"

"Now do you understand?"

Obi-Wan peered curiously at the sunlit corridor over Anakin's shoulder. "I still can't see her. What does she look like?"

"She's human," Anakin replied softly. "She looks like a child."

"I can still hear you!"

Anakin closed his eyes. "She speaks too much."

"I'm standing right here!"

Anakin shook his head slightly. "Just be glad you can't see—"

"Hey!" He turned as I appeared, my hand jabbing through his chest. "If you're going to insult me, do it to my face."

"It isn't like you can do anything to us," Anakin frowned.

"No, but I can do a few other things. Like talk a lot."

"Obi-Wan…"

"He can't hear me. Only you can. I'm like your Angel in the Jedi temple. No one can see me or hear me but _you_… and Yoda, for some odd reason. You're just going to have to tell him that I'm a glowing ghost."

"Is she speaking again?"

"Yes, Master."

"Well… what is she saying?"

"She says she is a ghost."

"That much is obvious."

"If you want specifics, I'm part of the so-called Living Force."

"Really?"

I turned to look at Anakin, who was looking at me. Obi-Wan was looking at Anakin.

Well, if this wasn't a good staring contest.

"She says she's part of the Living Force."

"Is she a Jedi?"

Anakin looked at me. I shook my head. Anakin did the same.

Follow the leader.

"Did she say what she was?"

"Tell him he doesn't want to know."

"Master, you don't want to know."

"See," Obi-Wan said slowly, "that's the sort of thing that could arouse suspicion."

"This comes from cranky constipated guy."

Anakin looked at me with widening eyes.

"Oh, did I say that out loud?"

He nodded slightly before frowning at my innocent expression.

I sighed dramatically. "You don't want to know where I came from. Just believe me when I say that what I did I did for love. I saved my world and suddenly woke up here. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of this."

"I… I know," Anakin said quietly.

"I just need to know why I'm here."

"We'll find out," Anakin replied. "If it's one thing we do well, it's find things we need to."

"Thank you."

"Anakin…"

"I just told her we'd help her find out why she's here."

"She doesn't know?"

"No, Master, she doesn't know."

"If I were her, I'd be a little testy."

"You think?"

"You're not helping," Anakin said, turning his face towards me and lifting up his hand. As he turned back to Obi-Wan, I began waving my hand through his. After a moment, he turned to me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to hit you, but it isn't working."

"Why would you wish to do that?"

"Because I'm annoyed!"

"Master, I think we should—"

"No, you can't. Because wherever he goes, I have to go. Don't try and walk away from me because if you do, I'll follow you."

Anakin looked startled for a moment. A second later, his lips quivered. A few seconds after that, he burst out laughing.

"What?" Two voices at once. I stared at Obi-Wan. He was staring at Anakin. Following the leader.

Anakin just shook his head and began to back away. "Perhaps you should take this up with Yoda."

"I intend to." Obi-Wan was sounding amused again.

I just stomped my foot through the floor again as Anakin walked off, laughing his head off. Obi-Wan just glanced in my direction and started going in the other. I really had no choice but to follow. I could save my tantrum for a rainy day… if it ever rained on Coruscant, that is.

He wasn't so cute anymore. He was just an annoying kid who happened to have nice eyes and a rather deep, mysterious voice. Nothing alluring about that… right…

Several hours later, Obi-Wan was standing in front of Yoda. I was standing slightly behind him. Neither one of us were smiling.

"Come, why have you?" Yoda asked patiently, glancing up at Obi-Wan with his endearing look.

"Anakin…" He paused, cleared this throat and tried again. "Anakin said that he could see someone… a ghost, if such a thing exists."

"Oh, but I do exist," I whispered.

"He said that she somehow belonged to me."

"Belongs to you, she does."

"Master Yoda?"

Again with the Master thing. I was starting to get visions of leather-clad dominatrix Jedi running around with whips. Let's see if I can't get _that _out of my head while I'm at it.

"I told you so."

"Her presence unusual it is not."

I suddenly loved the little green guy.

"But why is she here Master? Why is she, well, mine?"

"Did you not take the cross?"

"I did…" Obi-Wan frowned thoughtfully as he regarded Yoda. "But she… she belongs to it?"

"To her, it belongs."

"And I would really like it back."

"Hear you, he cannot."

"That's because he's a man… just like talking to a brick wall and here's the obvious proof."

"Amusing this is not."

"Master Yoda, you can see her too?"

"See her, I can. Speak with her I can. Accept her you must before you speak."

"See you in ten years," I muttered under my breath. I was really tempted to call in the other glowing guy and start yelling at him again. It was far better than watching Obi-Wan standing there and playing dumb.

"Very well, Master. I will try."

"Do, or do not," Yoda said in his cryptic voice, his ears fluttering back as he lifted his clear gaze to stare at me. "There is no try."

_I'll definitely keep that one in mind, _I thought.

Obi-Wan bowed his head and walked out of the war room. Again, I looked around and saw the large table with hunched over Jedi just begging for arthritis. At least as a ghost I wouldn't have to worry about that.

"Have patience, young Slayer, you must."

"You know what?" I asked, half-turning to face Yoda who was stumping towards me on his little walking stick. "I've been here three days. I'm still wearing the clothes I wore when I dove off that platform. I haven't had a shower in three days. My hair, if it existed, would feel like wire right now. I died to save my sister and the world and this is the thanks I get? I'd rather be in Hell."

Yoda's ears drooped a bit as he glanced down. His tone was almost sad. "You will see," he said in that mysterious croak of him. "You will see."

I wasn't sure exactly what I would see, but I didn't have a choice. My feet were moving against their will again and I dropped all resistance, floating backwards through the door as Obi-Wan hastened somewhere fantastic that I was sure to follow. Touching my head, I longed to feel my hair again. I longed to feel anything again. I couldn't feel anything. Oh, sure, I felt annoyed. But I wanted to feel something other than these crazy emotions that were just jumping out at me. I wanted to feel the cold floor or the warmth of the sun. I wanted to feel alive again.

Instead, I feel lost. I am so lost.

Darkness has fallen over Coruscant now. It looks even more like a video game outside with little lights zooming in all directions. The sound of a fantastic night life sounded in the distance. I wanted to get out and do something, but I was held back.

I resented being held back.

Obi-Wan was in his quarters now. The most fascinating thing in this room was the fact there was a bed and something that looked like a beanbag chair. I just sat on his chair, watching as he meditated at first. Later he moved to his bed to sleep. I just watched as he laid on the cot, deep in thought.

After about an hour, I was bored.

I stood up and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked so peaceful when he slept. He was much more pleasant when he wasn't awake. I'd had three days to figure that out. I reached down to touch his face. "Why can't you see me?" I whispered. "Why?"

He stirred under my touch. I pulled my hand away and stared at his face. "You can feel me though, can't you?"

He stirred again as I passed my hand through his head. I was about to do it again when his eyes opened, blinked twice and he stared straight at me. "What do you want?"

"You know I'm here."

"I know you're there."

"I've been here," I insisted, reaching down to touch him again. His hand passed through mine as he reached for his head. And then his eyes narrowed. "Please, please… do something. Tell me something. Tell me a story. I need you to know that I exist. See me for yourself. Please?"

"Whatever you want…"

"I want to exist to you. I wish I could exist to you." I arched one eyebrow and looked around. "Well, it was worth a shot."

He just sighed and rested his head back on his pillows, his arms curling behind his neck as he blinked up at the ceiling. I moved so that I was perched on top of him. Maybe he could feel this. I could sense his body stirring beneath me. I couldn't feel anything other than the discomfort of my body going through his. Okay, those were naughty thoughts. But after three days of no sleep and hardly any contact, my thoughts seemed to go to the gutter far faster than they had before.

"I know you're there and can likely hear me."

"That much is true," I muttered.

I heard a voice in the back of my head. _Trust him. Take a chance, he will not disappoint you._

You're about two days too late for that, buddy.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said, lifting my hand again. "But I'm going to try something." Leaning down, I felt my body pass through his. I could feel the material of his bedding passing through my non-corporeal self as I whispered in his ear, "I'm here now."

He jumped slightly, my body falling completely through the bed.

"Where?"

"What?" I asked, my voice muffled by the fact I was the entire way through a mattress. I pushed myself back up through his body to rest on top of him. He was staring straight at me now.

"Hello, there."

"Hi."

He just smiled and glanced up again. So he was guessing. Stupid men. They could never read minds very well. I just rested my elbows on his stomach and blinked at him nonchalantly. I had to trust him, right? He was a pretty decent Jedi from what I'd seen. Definitely not a disappointment.

A hand suddenly came and passed through my face. Blinking, I glanced up and saw him leaning forward, frowning slightly. "Why are you on top of me?"

"Because of all the things in this room, you are definitely the most exciting."

"Really?"

"Really…" Then it hit me. "You can hear me? You can see me?"

"I can hear you and likely that means I would be able to see you, no?"

I felt like crying with relief. "How?"

"I just listened to what Master Yoda said."

But he wouldn't listen to a woman. Typical. And yet I felt like hugging him.

He didn't even know my name.

"How long have you been here?" he asked, tilting his head as he regarded me. I straightened up so I wasn't straddling him anymore. Thank you very much for those thoughts.

"I've been here a few days now, ever since you picked up my cross." I pointed to the cross that sat with the weird handle thing on a low table nearby. "Since then, I haven't been able to do anything but follow you. See that doorway? That's how close I am to you. If you jump, I jump. It's really not a fun way to live." But then I felt my old familiar grin tugging at my lips. "But I am so, so happy to know that you can see me."

But his eyes had clouded over in concern. "Exactly how much have you seen?" he asked, his mind absorbing my words.

My grin brightened. His eyes widened as he glanced down at himself safely tucked underneath the covers. Or so he thought. "Oh, dear."

x-o-x

_You readers are the best! I just had to say that now, because well, you know… it's encouraging._

_Comments, suggestions, flaming arrows… yep._ _I want them. Please._


	5. That's the Guy!

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **That's the Guy!

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film watching said film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars exploding drabble-turned-crossover.

**Summary: ** Buffy finds out about the war Jedi-style.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate working in a dangerous field. I just have my radar.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Timeline: **This takes place after 'The Gift'. In Star Wars verse, it's set between films two and three.

**Dedication: **Cripes… for you who are actually enjoying this story… well, have a fifth helping of chaos.

**Notes: **Just a few quick things… as of now, I have no plans to turn Buffy corporeal again, meaning she will remain a ghost with the Living Force. The reasons for that will become shockingly obvious soon enough. I will continue updating this every week because right now this is the greatest release of all the pent-up sarcasm. As for the future, keep in mind that this is months before the beginning of the third film, so I'm either using what little I have read or else I'm using my writer's license and imagination. This chapter seems to be the precursor of things to come…

**Notes II: **Things at work just exploded… literally. I've got a large aggravated assault case I'm working on, along with a fatal fire and criminal conduct. Basically the past week has been hell for me. I'm also of the belief that this chapter isn't up to the standards of the others, but without sleep my brain just isn't working right. Hopefully the next chapter will be a little bit, err, clearer.

x-o-x

**That's the Guy!**

The next morning found more brilliant artificial sunlight streaming through panes of glass. I stood underneath them, marveling the sight of hundreds of transports scurrying too and fro. I had a feeling that no one really took the time to appreciate the technology they had. I know I didn't. Next time I would take that alarm clock seriously. If I had a next time…

There was a Council meeting this morning. Obi-Wan was behind him, conversing quietly with a few other Jedi. I could hear every word they were saying, but there was no way I was going to tell him that. That would lead to uncomfortable questions I wasn't ready to answer yet. I just stood there, staring. Obi-Wan knew I was there. He knew if he moved I would have to follow him. I had already expressed my discomfort at floating through solid objects, especially breathing ones.

Anakin, on the other hand, had veered off into another corridor when he saw Obi-Wan approaching. Apparently he was still afraid of me.

It was kind of weird… he was afraid of me because I could talk. I was sort of curious to figure out how he'd feel if I could ever lift an axe or a troll-sized hammer or something and let loose, Slayer-style. Wouldn't that be something?

"Hello, there."

I turned my head slightly to see Obi-Wan standing slightly behind me. His face wore that familiar grumpy expression. I longed to comment on it, but I knew he'd be able to hear me. "What now?"

"The Council is preparing to meet," he replied unnecessarily.

"I know."

"You know?"

"Well, I was standing right here. And you weren't exactly trying to keep things private."

"I see." His eyes were crinkling again as he gazed at me. I shifted uncomfortably. He couldn't really tell other than he saw a ghostly figure move left and right. I could blame it on the floating thing. "Shall we?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Likely not."

"Lead the way."

He started moving and I trailed behind him. "You know, I'd respond better if you didn't look so pissy."

"I beg your pardon?"

"What's with the frown?"

"I'm thinking."

"Really? To me, it looks like you're trying to—"

"Master Obi-Wan."

I turned and stifled a groan as Anakin suddenly appeared. We were at a crossing corridor and Anakin had just come veering quickly from the left. I noticed that he kept his voice low and looked obviously at Obi-Wan.

"Relax, Anakin," I muttered. "He can see me now."

"You can?" Anakin asked, a little too hopefully. I just smirked at him until the hopeful look fell from his face. "You're teasing me."

"Would I do that?" I asked innocently. At Anakin's slight frown, I added, "Of course I would. I've been doing it since I got here… it's not my fault you decided to listen finally."

His jaw neatly dropped as I turned cheerfully back to Obi-Wan. "So! Meeting with selfless politicians? An oxy-moron if I ever heard one…"

"We should get going," Obi-Wan said smoothly, ever the peacemaker. "Anakin, I will speak with you after the meeting. We have a lot to discuss before we head to Cato Neimoidia." At my puzzled expression, he simply held out his arm and gestured forward.

"Trust me," I muttered as I passed Anakin, who was still looking put out about my comments, "this is one meeting you'll be glad you're missing. All they do is sit there and come up with new ways to say nothing."

As it turned out, I was only partially right.

I just sort of stood behind Obi-Wan's chair as the Council met. Though I wasn't exactly invited I really had no choice. I would have been stuck floating in the wall had I not actually taken the initiative and come forward. Besides, Yoda didn't really object. He didn't really do anything at all except sit there and blink at me quietly for a few seconds before the tall dark-skinned guy on the opposite side called the meeting to order.

It was sort of fascinating. I did see at least four other Jedi hovering above their chairs, apparently broadcasting from a remote location. It was like television of the new age. Instead of talking about doing nothing to incense the Senate, they actually talked about something called the Outer Rim. Obi-Wan had apparently been assigned with Anakin to go to one of the planets on the Outer Rim and search for leaders of some Separatist movement. It was all Greek to me. Sumerian, even. The Jedi with the blue skin said something about a planet that sounded like she sneezed and before I could stop myself I murmured, "Bless you."

Obi-Wan nearly choked into his palm. He couldn't risk gazing over his shoulder at me. He just slowly moved his hand aside and gazed forward.

Before I knew it, the meeting was over. Obi-Wan lingered a moment. I had the feeling he had a lot to say to Yoda. Luckily Yoda too fell behind. "Obi-Wan, something more have you?"

"Yes, Master," he replied, before gesturing behind him. "Her."

"See her, you can?"

"I think it'd be less rude if you didn't refer to me in the third person," I said snidely, leaning up against the back of the chair. Or, rather, I sort of floated into it.

"I apologize," Obi-Wan said gently. "I did not mean to insult you."

"Well, you did," I snapped. "What difference does it make what you see or what you can't see?"

"This does not help us."

"My whining doesn't help you? Oh, isn't that a shock?"

"If you would stop speaking for a moment, I might be able to—"

"If _I _stop speaking?" I replied, aghast. "How dare you!"

"Obi-Wan," Yoda began, but Obi-Wan neatly interrupted him, turning to frown at me.

"I dare speak because it is you who encroached on the Jedi."

Oh, boy. Ooh. He just said the magic words…

"I encroached on the Jedi?" I asked, too angry to even care that I stormed through yet another solid object. "I didn't do anything here! I died saving my world, no less, and the next thing I know I'm stuck in this place. Do you know how it feels to be the strongest person you know and do something so great, so beautiful that it made you glad you sacrificed everything to save the one person who meant the world to you? And then you lose everything you've ever counted on. I've lost everything in the matter of seconds. And don't you tell me that I earned this because if this is what it's like to be dead, I'd rather have the real deal and not be stuck as a ghost in this place I can't begin to get."

Yoda looked as though he were expecting my rant. He just leaned on his walking stick and sighed. Obi-Wan looked stunned at my outburst but recovered quickly. "You don't know why you're here, do you?"

"It has something to do with him," I replied, glaring at Yoda.

"Wish to speak of this, do you?"

"Of course I don't," I said, suddenly uncomfortable. "But at least we're not yelling anymore."

Yoda gazed at me, a look of total compassion on his face. "Understand your need for reasoning, I do."

"I have a feeling you two met before."

"Wasn't under the best circumstances," I replied evenly, glancing at the other Jedi. "He… he helped me…"

"Part of the Living Force, you are," Yoda interjected my rather embarrassing ramble. I just shook my head. "Doubts of yourself, you may have but trust you, I do."

"Master Yoda?"

Why did he have to sound so surprised?

"Been through much, she has. In time trust her, you will."

Great. Just great. Now he was going to force me to talk to the man I belonged to. For being so advanced, there certainly was an embarrassing bit of caveman-ism going on here.

"What about the mission?"

Yoda glanced down, closing his eyes. We both waited on bated breath. Well, Obi-Wan did. I still couldn't breathe. Instead I kept opening my mouth and then closing it, waiting for the answer I knew was coming. _You have no choice but to go, no matter what._

"That's so unfair," I thundered as we left the Council room. Obi-Wan turned around and watched as I walked through the closing doors, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"What is it now?"

"I have to go on a mission with you? Me? Do you know what I used to be?"

"Unfortunately, you have refused to tell us."

"With good reason, too! I can really trust you, Obi-Wan. Oh, yes. Notice how Yoda wasn't exactly all embracing you with the trust."

Obi-Wan winced slightly. "I wouldn't be a negotiator if I wasn't good at what I do."

"And I wouldn't be here if I wasn't dead. Aren't we a match?"

"You don't have to be so sarcastic."

"And you could actually have a personality."

"Why do you insult me so?"

"Because it's fun."

"You find it amusing to insult someone you do not know?"

"You think I haven't seen what you're all about? I spent two days in your shadow before you even knew I existed."

"Two days is hardly enough…"

"Are you kidding me? You get up, you meditate. You meet with the Masters, you meditate. You eat, you travel, you sleep and you meditate. Not to mention the talking… and you complain about me."

Obi-Wan's face darkened. "I wish you knew how truly idyllic that vision of my life sounds."

"Well, I picked up on other things, like this war you Masters can't get enough of…"

"Right," Obi-Wan replied heavily. "That."

"You might as well tell me before I have to actually see something that'll make me blush."

"Something tells me it takes quite a bit to make you blush."

I just gazed at him. His face reddened slightly before he turned away. "Right," he said softly. "About the war…"

"I'd really like to know who you're fighting. It makes it far easier to cheer on the winning team since that's about the only thing I _can _do at this point. Unless you guys are the bad guys."

"We are far from being the 'bad guys'," Obi-Wan said, but for some reason he was doing that frown again. "The Republic is at war against the Separatists."

"And the Jedi are the soldiers?"

"Actually, no… we lead our troops into war."

"Troops?"

"You'll see what I mean."

"So you guys are like the super-soldier Generals and stuff."

"That would be a way to explain it, yes."

"Ah. Continue, please."

"The war has gone on for over two years now."

"And…"

"And, what?"

"Who's winning?"

"We are."

I grinned at him. "Go team Jedi."

"It isn't like that," Obi-Wan replied, looking uncomfortable. "We're not killers."

I felt my own face sober. "I didn't say you were."

"I just want to find an end to this war so that the Republic can prosper again."

"You have to actually look like you believe it in order to convince me you do."

He looked at me again. "It isn't like that."

"So you said."

"We just have… questionable leadership."

"Really?"

"Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is the head of the Senate. The Jedi basically do the bidding of the Senate… we do not answer to its leader."

"But he wants you to."

"Is it that obvious?"

"I saw my first Council meeting yesterday, when you decided that Palpatine was either evil or he was close to someone evil. And then you decided to do nothing about it. He's sitting right there and I'm thinking that's the guy… and you still won't do anything about it. Here I thought you guys were the power here."

"We're keepers of the peace, not soldiers."

"Spoken like the tall dark guy with the deep, dramatic voice?"

"Master Windu?"

"Yeah, him. I heard him say that."

"It is true, but all of us believe it."

"I suppose you're all good little well-behaved Jedi too, aren't you?"

"Why are you so sarcastic?"

"I have to make up for what you lack, Obi-Wan. Trust me, it's nothing against you."

"Why do I feel like you're making fun of me?"

"I so wouldn't do that! After all, I belong to _you_."

"There is precious little I can do about the situation right now."

"Somebody has to know something," I murmured, glaring above me, looking for the strange glowing guy. "Did you hear me? I said _somebody has to know something!_" Silence. "Stupid men."

I then realized that Obi-Wan looked close to laughing. He quickly choked back his laughter but failed miserably. I just placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. "What?"

"You are rather amusing."

"Gee, thanks. I think that's an actual personality behind all that ice-cold Jedi exterior."

"I think I understand why Anakin is leery of you."

"He's afraid of me you mean?"

"He's a Jedi… he doesn't know fear."

"Oh do I have my work cut out for me."

"Your work?"

"Yeah, you know… the part where I teach you all about my sarcasm and my stuff and you give me yours and we have this whole cliché ending. I never thought of afterlife as a cliché before."

A figure was hurriedly approaching us from behind. "Master, there you are." It was Anakin… again. He was looking at Obi-Wan, trying in vain to ignore me.

"Master and guest, Anakin. We don't want to be rude."

"But I don't know what to call you."

"It is a fair question," Obi-Wan said as he saw my reluctant expression. "We do not know your name."

"It's Buffy Summers."

"No, really."

I just rolled my eyes. "And Obi-Wan is a normal name? And Anakin?"

"All right… Buffy Summers."

"Please, just Buffy."

"It is a rather nice name."

"But, Master, it is an unusual one."

"We're not here to debate about my name!"

"Oh," came the unison response. "Sorry."

"Sorry my butt," I muttered.

"But, still… you have to admit it is unusual."

I just glared at him. He cleared his throat and took a step backwards. I turned to Obi-Wan with a knowing look. The other man was smirking.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Master… Buffy… but I have to meet with Chancellor Palpatine."

I was going to open my mouth to when Obi-Wan grimaced with obvious dislike and said, "You must do what you must."

"I take it you don't like him?" I asked Obi-Wan in surprise. After seeing him with the poker playing alien junkie, well… I thought he liked everyone. And I knew everyone else didn't exactly like him because though I knew how much I was liked, I was still iffy on grumpy old Kenobi.

I also knew immediately after I spoke that this was a sore spot between them. The temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing and I couldn't even _feel _the cold.

"There is just the certain issue of trust," Obi-Wan said delicately. He glanced at Anakin with a slight frown and I found myself looking at him the same way. He stared at us both for a few seconds before shrugging.

"I have nothing against him. He's been a mentor, a friend to me since I've lived here. You don't know what that's like."

"No?"

Anakin eyed me cautiously for a moment before replying, "You obviously don't count since you're unwilling to share with us."

"I'll share with you as soon as you're not gallivanting off with the evil guy."

"You said he's evil?" Anakin asked, glancing at Obi-Wan, hurt flashing across his rather admirable features.

"I never said anything of the fact," Obi-Wan said, angrily stressing each syllable as he glanced at me. "And you would do well to keep your mouth shut. That was supposed to be kept in confidence."

"How the hell am I supposed to know what's confident and what's not? I don't know you!"

"You can hardly blame her, Master. She is lost here."

Oh yes, so lost. I keep telling myself that this has to be a dream. But, no. I'm standing here with two rather beautiful men who have all the discernable brainpower of a squid. Before I could actually ask what was going to happen next, I noticed they were both looking at me with looks of dawning horror on their faces.

"Squid?"

Crap! I had to stop the whole speaking-my-thoughts-out-loud thing. I just flashed them my most innocent smile. They just eyed each other tiredly and shook their heads. "You should see to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine," Obi-Wan said quietly, looking as though he just swallowed acid.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, turning on his heel and gliding towards me. Then, as though he had an afterthought, he turned back and questioned, "Master… when we go to Cato Neimoidia… will she be with us?"

"Unfortunately."

Unfortunately? _Unfortunately?_

"I don't think I like you," I muttered to Obi-Wan, who found himself distracted yet again as he turned his head to look at me. I just crossed my arms and began to walk away. Anakin just turned and continued on his merry way. I would have given anything, including my old clothing and pretty much all of my non-existent hair to follow him.

"You don't have much of a choice."

"Anyplace is better than this. It has to be better than this."

"Until we find out more about you, we cannot do anything that would jeopardize whatever you've been sent here to do."

"Does it include scoping? All I know is I've seen pretty much all Jedi all the time."

Obi-Wan studied me for a moment before adding, "Perhaps Cato Neimoidia would benefit you."

"So I can watch you fight? I don't think so."

"You could hardly have the skills to take on what we would be facing."

"You'd be surprised," I said darkly, glaring out at the brilliant artificial sunlight.

"Well, what benefits do you have now?"

"I… sense things," I replied defensively. "Like when you started talking to that weird alien guy who was playing poker, I began to see things. You took him out of the game at the wrong time, you know. The other guy was cheating and the alien you picked on had a full house… or whatever that crooked pyramid thingy is called."

"Obviously you do not know the game. Cheating is always involved."

"Ah, so you just picked on the fair one. I get it."

"Do you always talk this much?"

"I don't have much else to do," I smiled. "Besides… the other Jedi will think you're nuts standing in the hallway talking to yourself."

"You mean they can't see you?"

"All of three people can right now. You're the last one on the list, bub. Right now, you look psychotic."

"I can see things are looking better," he replied sarcastically. "First I find out that you exist… then you decidedly pop up at the most inopportune moments—"

"If that includes you showering, I enjoyed the show."

He just glared at me. I gave him my most endearing smile.

"Is nothing I do private anymore?"

"Well, if you count private as sitting in front of a bored blonde who finds her own version of 'fun'," I yawned, glancing around at the Jedi moving about without much interest. "I guess we're stuck with each other whether we want it or not. Just think… if you hadn't been so nosey and picked up _my _cross…"

He just leveled another look at me and sighed under his breath.

I couldn't blame him. It was all his fault. He brought this on himself.

And _that's _the guy I ended up with... sometimes life is so, so unfair. Afterlife. Whatever.

x-o-x

_I am so not worthy. As usual, your reviews are most welcome. I'll keep updating about once a week until things at work start getting "busy" again. Comments, suggestions, flaming arrows… please?_

_Next chapter would include Buffy actually getting off of Coruscant. _


	6. Team Plus One

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Team Plus One

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film watching said film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars exploding drabble-turned-crossover.

**Summary: ** Obi-Wan and Anakin leave for their mission; she's just along for the ride.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. All of the actual Star Wars stuff actually came from Wikipedia which likely came from George Lucas's mind to begin with. I'm just a poor post-college graduate working in a dangerous field. I just have my radar.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Timeline: **This takes place after 'The Gift'. In Star Wars verse, it's set between films two and three.

**Dedication: **I think I've been inspired, Jeeves. What brainpower I had left to write this chapter has been boosted by the person this fic was intended as a gift for.

**Notes: **I haven't really decided how far this story will go yet. I'm "flying blind" on this one. I usually have a nice outline and everything. Nope… for this one, it's just a list of things I want to happen, a list of references for things that actually happen and the one thing I'm not sure I would want to happen if I actually wrote it. I think the story also took a bit more of a serious turn this time around. This is the first set of chapters in which our heroine goes on vacation… Jedi-style… with two of the greatest troublemakers in the Order. On a second note, the Olympics are finally here!

x-o-x

**Team Plus One**

The war room was crowded the next morning. Obi-Wan had been called from his meditation at had rushed from his quarters without sparing me a second glance. Just the _tone _of the Jedi's voice was deadly serious. Something major had happened.

I followed him blindly through the corridors until we reached the war room. The tall, dark-skinned man met Obi-Wan at the door. "Master Kenobi, we must speak."

Obi-Wan gave me a helpless glance before following Mace Windu inside. To be the nice person, I decided to give him his privacy. I stayed by the table as the two gathered in the far corner talking in low, urgent tones. I would just have to trust Obi-Wan to tell me what was going on.

What was usually a normal morning with a lot of pent-up energy and a mouthful of hot air to burn had suddenly become a deflated balloon. I couldn't exactly mock a room full of overly concerned Jedi who spoke as though the world was coming to an end.

Ooh, maybe it was an Apocalypse.

I turned around and politely backed out of the war room. Obi-Wan was too busy to notice I was gone. Anakin and Yoda weren't there so they wouldn't miss me.

I did however find my other ghostly friend waiting for me across the corridor. I took a few tentative steps towards him and finally crossed the hallway. Obi-Wan must still be within a hundred feet or whatever the distance was. It felt nice to be sort of free from him, even if it was only for a few minutes.

"Long time, no see," I greeted him. He just gazed serenely at me. "I really didn't think you would abandon me."

He looked somewhat amused as he replied, "You were never truly abandoned. My former apprentice knows to look after you."

"So you're the one who trained him to be such a tight ass," I surmised, crossing my arms.

He frowned at me. "I don't think it would be wise to insult him. He does have a weapon."

"A weapon that does a lot of good swinging through thin air," I replied tartly. "He can't touch me and you know it."

"There is something more than a physical touch, Buffy," the man said with an air of well-practiced patience. "He could have a greater impact on you if you would just open yourself to it."

"Great," I moaned. "More clichés."

His eyebrows snapped down, but before he could respond two more Jedi rushed into the war room. I felt my feet slide a few feet backwards and stopped right in front of the wall. "I can only ask you to have patience."

"If you knew anything about me, you'd know I don't have any."

"This is not the time for your sarcasm," he replied, a sudden edge to his voice.

"Well, anytime I can do something more than quip with the sarcasm, let me know," I said dryly, glancing behind me. I felt my face sober as the doors closed, showing a group of Jedi inside. "Something big has gone down, hasn't it?"

"To be honest, I do not know," the man replied, joining me at my side and gazing at the wall. "I could assume there was a major setback in the war."

"I thought they were winning," I murmured, puzzled.

"Well, Obi-Wan gave you the half-truth. The full truth lies in the stars."

"And that made the kind of sense that doesn't."

"I must ask you to have—"

"Patience, yeah, yeah, yeah," I grumbled. After a moment, I turned back to him. "How do you do it?"

"How do I do what exactly?" he asked, blinking down at me.

"Exist in this world and not want to run screaming in circles," I replied incredulously.

"I once existed here," he replied unnecessarily. "I was a Jedi."

"Well, thank you for that Master Obvious, but how can you stand there knowing what happens and not be able to do anything about it?"

There was a sudden pained look in his face as he glanced away. After a moment, he replied so softly that were it not for my enhanced hearing I never would have heard him. "That's the price we pay."

"So you died some heroic death, too?"

"A great apprentice of the Sith killed me. My death was not heroic."

"And yet here you are."

"I chose this."

"Well, I didn't."

"But I chose you."

This took me aback. "You _chose _me?" I asked softly. "Was I like the last person in the universe or something? I mean..."

"If you mean do I regret my decision…" His voice trailed off delicately as he glanced down at me. "I have yet to make that decision."

"Huh."

"This was not meant to insult you," he said gently. "It was meant to give you the opportunity."

I shook my head, his words sinking in. "What are you giving me the opportunity to do? I can't exactly show you my style unless I have actual hands. I don't really get what you're trying to say. I think it'd be better if I got you."

He shook his own head, sighing under his breath. "You will understand."

"When my so-called patience kicks in, I'm sure I will."

"Again—"

"Not the time for sarcasm, check. But what are you really expecting me to do here? I mean, what can I do?"

"I don't know."

That was so not the answer I was looking for.

"You don't know?"

He looked at me. "You must understand that Jedi do not always seek the easy answers," he replied calmly.

"But I'm not one of your Jedi," I protested. He was wearing his serious face. I could feel another clichéd reaction coming on.

"You cannot ask these Jedi why you are here. They do not know nor can they particularly discover the truth. They have enough to face without the distraction you will undoubtedly bring."

"Now I know where Obi-Wan got it."

He just placed his hand to his eyes. "Could you for one moment—"

"Okay, I'll be serious."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. But I think you should know that I still have nothing whatsoever to contribute to this whole Jedi thing. And I thought Yoda was vague."

"Just know that this was not an attempt to deprive you of a rightful afterlife."

"Really?" I asked, glancing over at him and smirking. "The Powers That Be just screwed me over again, that's all. I don't blame you. I blame them."

"They were perfectly willing to give you that which you earned," the man replied, wincing slightly at the storm he knew he was going to cause.

"So basically this was your attempt to say that I didn't earn my afterlife?" I asked. My tone was light, but inside I was bubbling with anger. Figuratively, of course.

"I was hoping you would rather accomplish great deeds in your afterlife instead of floating on clouds," he replied. "To become part of the Living Force… few have accomplished what we have. You have been awarded a great honor."

"Really? Because right now I feel like I was duped against my will."

"That was not my intentions."

"And I'm supposed to believe you? I don't even know your name. To me, you're just the tall glowing guy."

"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn."

"Your name _was _Qui-Gon J—"

"No, unless I decide to alter my name to… what did you call it, a tall glowing guy? I hardly think I would gain respect by being called 'tall glowing guy'."

"Could be a catchy nickname."

His smile faded. "If you have not noticed… Obi-Wan approaches."

I turned around, feeling Qui-Gon fade behind me. Obi-Wan was walking directly at me. And he looked like he had plenty to say.

Which he did.

I think my jaw even fell twice.

"I thought you said we were winning the war," I whispered. I couldn't believe he had just told me what he had… an entire planetary division plus four Jedi commanders… wiped out on a world so close to Coruscant? I couldn't quite twist my mind around the 'off world' part, but the wiping out part I could. I felt a strange chill overcome me as I looked away. I couldn't look at his face.

For a moment there he looked so sad.

"It just means that our mission became twice as important," he said, a steely edge of determination in his voice. "We must leave soon. I must find Anakin."

"I haven't seen him," I offered helplessly. There was one thing to lose a war; but to lose a war you have never fought was just completely overwhelming to me. I had never been a part of a war in which I'd lost before.

He stopped to look at me, blinking. "Was that an actual offer of help?"

"I'll do what I can, even if it isn't much." _That and to get the tall glowing guy off of my back. Or… Qui-Gon. Yeah, his name is Qui-Gon. _

"I know you will," he replied. "But first we must track down Anakin."

It took a surprising amount of time. For someone that was basically the claimed chosen one, he wasn't exactly easy to find. We finally located him, though. Or, rather, Obi-Wan just followed where I was pointing and making odd comments about finding a very tall needle in a haystack shaped like one of those poofy footstool thingies those Jedi liked to meditate on.

"Master Obi-Wan," Anakin said, striding across the room in three long steps. His eyes traveled to my face. "And you."

"That was a lot less rude," I replied daintily.

"We have trouble Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, glancing around to make certain no one was listening to our conversation.

Our conversation.

Meaning all of a sudden I was included in on it.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, leaning closer. As he did, I noticed that his leg was gently brushing through mine. Trying to keep that rather provocative thought out of my head, I edged closer to Obi-Wan. It took me a few moments before I realized there was no way I was going to get out of this with a clean, clear mind.

And now they were both staring at me again. Had I said that out loud? Obi-Wan looked rather amused and Anakin looked affronted.

"What did you just say?"

Crap… I was going to have to watch that. "Nothing," I said, offering my sweetest smile.

Anakin just shook his head, turning to look inquiringly at Obi-Wan. The older Jedi took a deep breath and then plunged into his story. "The Jedi Council has decided to begin to attempt to reclaim planets along the outer rim after General Grievous fortified them."

Anakin's face sobered with sudden understanding. I know mine didn't. "Huh?"

"The General that leads the enemy forces has taken over our planets," Obi-Wan explained hastily. "The Jedi are now preparing to take them back."

"What was the big emergency today?" I asked. Anakin gave me a swift look, his eyes silently telling me to not talk so loud. Like it would really matter; they were the only Jedi who could hear me except for Yoda.

"There is a greater urgency to catch the Viceroy," Obi-Wan replied. For my benefit, he added, "he's one of the leaders of the Separatist army and likely one of their biggest financial contributors. As such, he is well aware of the presence of a Sith Lord and if he were caught, we might be able to question him. We would especially like to know about this mysterious General Grievous."

"I thought you already knew about him…" I responded.

"He is a rising force to be reckoned with," Obi-Wan agreed. "But the problem still lies with the Neimoidians."

Anakin seemed to accept this explanation without question, which was something because I had so many questions in my mind that I was having trouble deciding which one to ask first. Before I could ask any however, Obi-Wan glanced at me. "I would ask that you just accept this for now; all will become clear when you see it."

I shut my mouth and sighed. As Obi-Wan moved away Anakin, sensing my reluctance to follow, came up to my side. "He means well."

"He's confusing."

"He's a General. This is his way of explaining how it is."

For just one teeny, tiny fleeting moment I was tempted to let him in on a little secret in my life. Like, the part about me being a General.

"I just wish he'd be a little clearer. I don't have a life to risk, but if I did I'd be questioning him pretty seriously right now."

Anakin nodded. "I do understand. Really, I do."

Okay. How was that possible?

"Because you're the so-called chosen one?"

"I _am _the chosen one."

"How many chosen ones can there be?"

"Just the one and I am," Anakin replied, seemingly amused by our little argument.

Okay, so the motivation to spill my guts is now gone. Stupid Anakin for killing my mood!

"So… what's this Catie… er… Nemenoy planet like?"

"Cato Neimoidia is a dangerous planet," Anakin replied blithely, as though he were definitely set to prove his status as the chosen one. "It is built on mostly cities with bridges and is one of the richest planets of the entire Rim." He saw the confusion across my face and added hastily, "You'll have to see it to understand."

"How exactly are we getting there?"

"Commander Cody has star destroyers preparing for us at the airstrip. We will leave when they are ready."

"So I suppose we should be packing?"

Anakin smirked at me, his eyes twinkling. "Why would we be packing?"

Oh, right… these were men. They didn't pack. "I don't suppose you'll fight for a few weeks in those smelly old robes, will you?" I asked disdainfully.

"These smelly old robes are a Jedi's best tool," Anakin replied, his smirk widening.

"Not even clean underwear?"

Anakin snorted and moved forward.

"Clean socks? A hair brush? Shampoo?" My voice trailed off as I realized just exactly what I was dealing with. "Oh, this is going to be so disgusting!"

"Relax," Obi-Wan said, turning to look at me as I jogged up beside him. His eyes widened when he saw how quickly I could move for a ghost. I was so tempted to jab back that he should have seen me in person.

"How can you ask me to relax?" I thundered, aghast. "You're asking me to travel with two dirty Jedi to some planet and back?"

"It isn't like you have a sense of smell," Anakin replied. I looked at him; he was truly enjoying this.

I was so going to have to get something on him… something that I could use to torture him to no end.

"No, but I still have eyes and your hair looks like it could support a flea colony."

That snapped his mouth shut. Fixing me with a stern look, Anakin stormed past us and down the corridor.

"And you know that bar on the side of the tub? It's called soap!" I shouted after his retreating back. "It actually does do something more than just sit like a decoration!"

"You really must lay off of him," Obi-Wan said, though his amusement was clear in his twitching face.

"Uh huh," I replied stoically. "And what exactly would I do otherwise? I could just stand here and mock you."

"Would you?" he asked quietly.

"Only if I was in the mood. Which I'm not now…" I stopped, standing in the middle of a pool of sunlight. "How come you didn't tell Anakin what that tall dark-skinned guy said?"

He stopped, staring out the window for a long while before replying, "Because he will know precisely when he needs to." He turned to look at me. "Why did you not enter the war room? You would have gone unnoticed."

I thought about telling him about Qui-Gon Jinn, but held my tongue. "I thought you'd like your privacy."

"Oh," he said, his eyes narrowing, "and you just considered giving me privacy now?"

"I haven't peeped since the first time I saw you," I replied defensively. "I'm not some stalker. I do have standards, you know. And although you fit them, you're still a human being and in my world watching a human being be all naked and bathing constitutes as a serious stalking crime."

I was willing to bet he understood only half of what I said as he shook his head and glanced down, his fingers subtly brushing his beard. "Were you just teasing me before?"

"Yes," I replied. He seemed to cheer slightly at that and turned, continuing his walk. After a moment, he stopped again.

"May I confide in you?"

"Oh… okay…"

He gave me that smile again, the one that sort of made my ghostly knees weaken and my false breath quicken. Oh, yes, when he was smiling like that, he was just very aesthetically pleasing.

"I'm worried."

Well… so much for Captain Obvious. General Repetitive was starting to take over. "About…?" I prompted, coming to rest beside him.

"This mission, for one. A lot rests on our skills to capture Viceroy Gunray to plight our case that the Sith have a more substantial role in this than first expected. Our first assumption of the Sith did not go according to plan. Sora Bulq is not a Sith lord according to Master Windu's latest intelligence, which leaves the original thought that the Dark Lord of the Sith is a lot closer than comfort."

Okay. And yet I was still clueless.

"And…?"

He looked at me again, as though assuming I meant he had something else to say. As it turns out, I was right. "I'm worried about Anakin."

For a moment, he looked miserable again. I thought about reaching out to him, but I kept my hand at my side. "What about him?"

He just shook his head and gave me a pained look. "I do not wish to talk about it now. There is enough riding on this mission that speaking about Anakin would only distract me."

Good excuse, I thought. "All right." Then, feeling like I needed to say something more, I added, "But if you ever want to… I'm here, you know. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry we cannot help you find out why you're here."

After hearing Qui-Gon say basically that they'd never be able to figure it out, it was easy to forgive him. "I know," I replied, adding a slight smile of my own. "Just worry about your mission. I'll worry about the other stuff. And if you want me to keep an eye on Anakin, I could do that too."

Obi-Wan let out a long breath and gazed at me. "For someone who has become a thorn in my side, you do have your moments. There may not be many, but when you do have them…"

As he turned away, I promptly ran my hand through the back of his head. It almost felt as good as hitting him.

Several hours later, Anakin joined us again. For once, he looked clean. I gave him a brilliant smile and a thumb's up, which he promptly ignored as he stomped past us on the way to the launch.

Once we were seated inside, Obi-Wan began to discuss the mission again. Anakin just leaned down, frowning at the floor as he concentrated on what Obi-Wan was saying. I just sort of tuned him out. At this point, he was sounding like Giles. There was a lot of talk about different types of clone assault aircraft and vehicles they could use. Commander Cody's name came up a few more times.

And then I heard my name. Snapping out of my stupor, I turned to them. "What about me?"

"We were just discussing what you would be able to do."

"Obviously not much."

"No," Anakin replied, his eyes twinkling. "But you could do surveillance."

Spying? Like, for real? Sweet! "I guess I could," I yawned, attempting to muster enough enthusiasm into my answer. Obi-Wan apparently didn't think it was enough, judging by his scowl.

The transport we were riding set down a few moments later. Though I had no body, I still had that full-bodied sensation when it came to landing, complete with the stomach flutter during freefall. I was such a lucky ghost.

Obi-Wan led us up another ramp and into a ship the size of a city block. It was so big I knew my mom's house could fit into it several times over. Just the large circular things on the back of it were larger than that house. Anakin chuckled at the expression on my face but chose wisely not to comment.

"If you've never seen it, you would appreciate it too," I murmured in my own defense.

Anakin shrugged and gestured me on.

The inside of the space ship was like nothing I had ever seen before. Even when Obi-Wan quietly announced "Welcome to Commander Cody's star destroyer" I was in a state of complete shock. It looked like one of those things from Star Trek, only much, much cooler.

"And this," Anakin muttered behind me, "is Commander Cody."

A sudden figure stepped forward, white helmet tucked under his arm. "Master Kenobi, Commander Skywalker, welcome back to my ship." The man spoke in a quiet, yet determined voice. He was somewhat normal looking with dark hair and eyes, but there was something almost exotic about him.

"Thanks, Cody," Obi-Wan replied, sitting down and examining the panel in front of him.

"Your star fighters are in the hangar bay," Cody advised, setting his helmet down as he bent over the display. Glancing over Obi-Wan's shoulder, I saw something that looked like a multi-colored etch-a-sketch board superimposed on what looked more like a chess board than anything else. Then again, I really had nothing to compare it to.

Damned technology.

"We will arrive shortly after you do," Cody said, pointing at a tiny dot on the map. It immediately expanded to something that resembled a flat rock. "We'll commence the attack on all droid defenses then."

"And we'll go in and pluck out Gunray," Anakin said pleasantly from behind me, causing me to jump slightly.

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a long-suffering look. "You and I both know that it will take a lot more than that to capture the Viceroy."

"But, Master, politicians are our specialties."

I snorted. I couldn't help myself. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin glanced at me before turning back to Cody.

"Take us into orbit," Obi-Wan said quickly. Cody nodded and flagged down another figure moving towards us. At first, I thought I was looking at Cody again with the same distinct and yet bland features. But the more I looked around, the more I saw that nearly every single figure inside this ship were identical down to the determined brown eyes. Even their uniforms were the same. They all were the same heights, moved in the same fashion and even wore the same facial expressions.

But before I could ask what it was, Anakin leaned down and whispered, "They're clones."

"Oh." That explained it, I thought. Otherwise I would have felt sorry for all the nasty inbreeding. I saw that Obi-Wan was looking warily at me. All I knew is that they still had a lot of explaining to do.

I felt the ship buckle and I swung my hand through Anakin in the attempt to steady myself. If I wasn't careful, I was going to get a close-up view of the ship's exterior and that was the very _last _thing I wanted to do. It was bad enough to be a ghost going into a battle situation, but to be a ghost sitting in a star ship traveling into space without space to hold onto… the thought of floating through the stars sort of terrified me. I forced myself to sit down, hovering inches above the bench, staring hard at the twinkling map as though it were the only thing binding me here.

"Settle into a low orbit. We'll take it from there."

Correction… this was the man that I guess I sort of belonged to. Older and grumpy though he was, it seemed he had a lot of weight sitting on his shoulders. He was frowning, stroking his beard in that loving fashion.

Turning my head, I caught a porthole view of the outside and gasped. Anakin watched with a fond, knowing smile as I rose, walking towards the clear glass, gazing out. "Oh, my God."

It was the most wonderful view I had had in a long while, not counting pretty Jedi men. It was so surreal to be standing here, slightly floating about the ground while staring as a planet disappeared from beneath my feet. Stars that seemed far away were suddenly gleaming far brighter than I could have ever imagined.

I was really here, in outer space. I really did do something. I really was where no Slayer had gone before.

I touched the glass. Though I had no senses, I could feel the cold behind it.

"You would think she'd never seen a window before," Anakin mused to Obi-Wan, but he too was smiling fondly at my small frame as I stared outside. "Can we get her away from that?"

"We'll have to," Obi-Wan teased. "Otherwise she'll just have to float with the ship."

"And we're done," I replied, turning to face the two of them. "As for this whole star fighter thing… what do you expect me to do?"

A few minutes later, I found out the hard way. Settled in the back of a tiny ship that was obviously meant for a single pilot, I was stuffed behind the chair, the top of my head just visible over Obi-Wan's crown. My entire body was jammed into components I couldn't even see, much less identify. My feet were sticking through the bottom of the ship. My left arm was attached to the droid's system, which was weird because I felt a current of commands flow through me as though I were some electrical conduit. The droid outside seemed to be having the time of its life, beeping and twittering about.

And we hadn't even begun pre-flight yet.

"Comfortable?"

What a question to ask… "Not so much," I replied, shifting my bottom so that it wasn't sitting on a power coupling. It felt like I had a robot jammed up my behind.

"Will you last? It may take some time to reach the planet and more time before we are even on the surface."

"I think I'll manage." I was no wimp. It was time to prove I could outlast.

He smiled fondly as he fit his headset onto the top of his head. "You sound like Anakin when he was younger."

"I think I'm still younger than him."

He paused. "Really?"

"Yeah," I replied, slightly ashamed I had decided to let out that part of my life. My age… honestly! And women were usually so darned protective of that number.

"You still remind me of him," he said quietly, leaning over to switch controls. Feeling a slight vibration in my midsection, I glanced down to see something whirling to life. Great… now I was going to have vibrating electrical components in my body for God knows how long. "Back when we were a great team."

"You're still a great team," I grumbled over the loud noise behind me. I felt like it was drumming through my skull. It took me a moment to realize that I was literally up to my eyeballs in engine components. I shifted again, bobbing my head forward until it was within an inch of Obi-Wan's. "But, now it's like… a team plus one."

"Or maybe about a third," Obi-Wan countered, reaching down to tab another control. This time I felt a fan blast up my legs and I shuddered. Obi-Wan paused, frowning. "You might want to refrain from doing that," he said. "Now that I am aware of your presence, I would be able to feel anytime you would like to move your legs into the rear of my body."

Oh, so I just put my foot somewhere where it didn't belong. If I had been human, my face would have been burning. "Okay," I shouted.

The cabin was suddenly filled with Anakin's voice. "Master?"

"We're all set here."

"Then let's move."

A great silver doorway in front of us opened up. Leaning over so much chin was hovering over Obi-Wan's shoulder, I watched as Anakin's small yellow spaceship suddenly zoomed out, followed by ours.

Ours.

Like we were a team.

The ship didn't fly very far before it reached something that looked like Saturn's rings standing straight up. Obi-Wan neatly piloted the ship into two brackets and after a tremendous lurch that nearly sent me spiraling out of the rear of the ship, it came to a halt.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I muttered, my mouth full of oily engine as I pulled myself back forward. As he began pushing more controls, I felt a sudden jump before the ship took off with great speed.

I just forced my eyes to stay on the blurring stars overhead. I couldn't really get sick as I didn't have a stomach, but this was _far _faster than I had ever traveled in my life.

After this, I think I preferred walking.

Little did I know that a few days from now, I would prefer anything, including putting up with Qui-Gon Jinn, other than facing what we were about to.

x-o-x

_This story is now my third most viewed story… and it was five chapters long. This tells me that switching to a new genre of crossover was an intelligent thing to do. It is also inspiring me to get back to doing rewrites. It's nice to know that since switching to my current job I haven't lost my comedic side. Your reviews inspire me, they really do. I appreciate all of them and do intend to reply for those of you who have been kind enough to leave them! I'm not going to beg for reviews, but they really are very nice and motivating!_

_Buffy is finally off of Coruscant… but she's about to land in a whole new world of trouble. _


	7. Outer Space

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Outer Space

**Rating: **K – Just talk of death and mentions of war. Since I saw kids younger than the younglings in the last film watching said film, well… I'm certain anyone can read this.

**Genre: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars exploding drabble-turned-crossover.

**Summary: ** On Cato Nemoidia, anything can happen… and usually does. But space is cold and deadly, too.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate working in a dangerous field. I just have my radar.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Timeline: **This takes place after 'The Gift'. In Star Wars verse, it's set between films two and three.

**Dedication: **Grace, I heart you. I really do. You made my crappy week so much better! You are my inspiration. Well, you're half of my inspiration. The other half belongs to a certain individual a few hundred miles away.

**Notes: **Well, once again I'm struck with illness. I will never not take a flu shot again! This is the third time I've gotten sick in two months. This time it's the deadly Influenza. After spending a week doing almost nothing but sleeping, staring blankly at the television screen and struggling through work just because I feel too guilty for letting it pile up, well… it was a relief to turn my computer on again. This is my half-attempt at actually writing something more than a criminal report. That and I was watching an obscure 80s film ("Stripes") while doing final edits to this chapter.

x-o-x

**Outer Space**

I don't remember how long we were flying. All I know is I spent every iota of whatever being I was to make sure I wasn't going to fly half a parsec (whatever _that _is) behind the ship because Obi-Wan drives too damned fast. Everything was one big blur of color and objects in varying shapes and sizes whizzed by at speeds I could only imagine where in the hundreds of thousands of miles per hour.

"Couldn't you slow it down?"

"Not if we want to reach our destination this year," came his dry reply.

"And I don't want to float behind this death trap," I shrieked.

"It'd be welcome!"

"What?"

"It would be… unfortunate?"

"I heard you the first time!" I closed my eyes as the ship shuddered around me, something near my navel vibrating. "Oh, if I had a nickel every time someone complained about my driving."

"You want to drive?"

"Did I say that? Did those words just come out of my mouth?"

Okay, so I'm cranky. Only because I've been shook, shattered and vibrated around for the past God-knows-how-many hours. My only company was a smart ass Jedi who kept offering calm suggestions that I somehow mind-meld with the engine to make it go faster, or else slip behind the ship and push it. Since I was crammed rather uncomfortably behind him, for once I was glad that I was a ghost. Otherwise it would have been unbearable.

"No," he replied quietly. "I suppose not."

The astro droid about fifteen feet from my left elbow started twittering again. The vibration in my abdomen stopped. Had I been able to communicate with it, I would have told it off for being such a tease. "I think I'd rather be driving."

"I thought you said you could not drive." He sounded smug. Well… I'll show him.

"I thought you said you could."

He cocked his head, as though he couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. I believed them. I got snippy when I've had no sleep. Or a shower, a hot meal, a change of clothes or even a brush. My poor hair must be like wire right now. If only I could feel it!

"Master… Buffy… how are you two faring?"

Dear Anakin, I thought with pride. He always butted in at exactly the right moments… sort of.

"We would do a lot better if we reached the planet in tact," Obi-Wan said, pressing his mouthpiece closer to his lips. His beard twitched slightly as he heard my aggravated sigh behind him. "I thought when I said communications silence you understood those orders, Anakin."

"I'm sorry, Master," Anakin sounded as though he was trying not to laugh. "I thought by now she would have irritated you to no end."

"She's trying."

"Am not."

"You've been obliquely insulting me since we first left dock," Obi-Wan shot back. "That was quite a few hours ago."

"Well, you made yourself a very easy target."

"Hmm… I imagine I did. Nevertheless, I thought that someone in your position would have accumulated some tact by now."

"Tact?"

"Master? What is going on?"

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan sounded testy now. "Communications silence! You do understand that, do you not?"

"Right, Master. I'm sorry. Just… don't let her get to you."

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth as I stuck my tongue out towards the back of his head. "Trying here."

A few more long, boring moments went by. It could have been hours, but I was preoccupied with examining every single bit of technology poking out of me. If I had to swing my body through Obi-Wan's a few times to read labels I couldn't understand because they were written in gibberish. I tried for casual conversation but received the same snappish answers in reply. After my fourth failed attempt to get him to explain why he had to make the one part spin through my midsection so readily, I finally snapped.

"Who do you think you are?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm stuck here as a ghost and you just sit there like some smug, arrogant little bastard ignoring me because you can."

"If you haven't noticed, we have a job to do."

"A job that you decided not to tell me hardly anything about!"

He paused. "You know everything you need to know. We're here to find the Viceroy."

"Well. Yeah, that explains a lot… if you're a droid! For crying out loud, give me something!"

"Between us and the Viceroy are thousands of assorted droids that could blast us out of the stars if they know we're coming," Obi-Wan replied grimly. "This is a surprise attack, meaning we have to be ready to go in guns blazing if we have to."

"I thought you said Jedi weren't soldiers."

Obi-Wan glanced down as he manned his controls. "I never said we weren't. I just said we lead our troops into battle."

"As far as I can see, you're the troops."

"They'll come. They always have. Cody hasn't let me down, yet."

"About him… I mean, it's so creepy. How can you tell Cody from the next guy? I mean, they all look alike."

"He has a different personality," Obi-Wan replied softly. "He was from a different breed. He knows how to lead. He'll do his job."

"Okay."

He glanced up. "Okay? You won't argue? No more questions?"

"Not off the top of my head, no. I think you just spelled it out pretty clearly." I glared down as that something vibrated again. "We're on a suicide mission to pick up one alien from a thousand droids and there's only the two of you to do the job."

"That was pretty good."

"Thank you."

For some reason, my words seemed to confuse him. He just shook his head slightly. The droid bleeped. Anakin, for once, remained silent. And we drove onward in peace. I glanced up. The colors were back, shimmering in shades of blues and purples I couldn't even name. They were beautiful.

It then struck me… I was traveling in space, outer space. I was in a space ship. I was traveling on a space ship in outer space to the tune of 'here we come to save the day'.

This was definitely a moment to savor.

"We're coming out of hyperspace."

I braced myself for the sudden stop. The parts behind me creaked and shuddered as the lights seemed to expand and with a sudden jolt we fell from whatever hyperspace was. A few seconds later a bright yellow ship appeared somewhere to our right. "Anakin," I breathed.

"Trouble."

"What?"

I glanced forward and nearly gasped. This was Cato Nemoidia? It looked like Earth… if Earth was surrounded by large things that looked like thick, hollowed-out Frisbees with a golf ball in the center. Even though it was so far away, the ships seemed so close.

"Cutting power to main drive."

"Why are you telling me for?" I breathed as my eyes stared, transfixed, at the ships hovering before us. "Do they know we're here?"

"We haven't been scanned yet."

There was even more to look at now. There seemed to be some sort of odd mist rising from the planet. Our ship careened easily through the first two ships. Anakin's ship was following behind us at a different angle.

"This system is controlled by the Separatists," Obi-Wan explained calmly as I stared out. "We had to dock far enough way so that our entrance into the system wouldn't be detected."

"So they won't notice two ships controlled by Jedi just happening to fly to their planet."

"They are droids."

"But I thought they were as smart as humans."

He snorted under his breath. "If that's what you've been observing, you're not as smart as you think you are."

_What? _

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that an insult?"

"I think we'd both benefit if you just kept your mouth closed."

"Three minutes ago, you were complaining that you were being ignored."

"I changed my mind."

He didn't reply. For a moment I considered a smartass comment that would throw him off his game. I had no idea he could be so… personable, especially in that moment. But then I followed his line of sight.

If I had a heart, it would have stopped beating. If I had a stomach, it would have dropped. If I had any feeling in my skin, it would have been crawling.

Between us and what turned out to be _three _planets were enough ships to circle around our ship and probably the three planets a good three or four times. There were also large black and red bulbs hanging in a circle in front of them.

"Mines."

I mimicked swallowing hard and received a sharp jab in my left shoulder blade. "Gulp?"

"Can you even do that?"

I glanced at him. "No…" My voice trailed off as I saw his body tense. If I could only see his face… would I see fear? Anxiety? Apprehension?

Dear God, I was only twenty. I'm way too young to die. Again.

Crap.

I'm a ghost. I can't die again, can I?

_But he can_.

"What… what are you doing? You're going to fly into the mines?"

"The only reason we haven't been attacked is because those mines are between us and that planet."

"Which one?"

He didn't even notice my voice was trembling.

"The one in the middle. We have to get through this minefield first. And then we have about four dozen ships between us and that planet. If all goes well, we should get to the main docking ring unscathed."

"If all goes well?"

Was that a whisper?

"Just think positive thoughts."

"Thinking now."

Our ship entered the minefield. I held my breath, which was easy since I didn't have to take a breath to begin with. "They know we're here, don't they?"

"I think they have a pretty good idea."

I looked around. "Where's Anakin?"

Obi-Wan frowned at his sensors. "He's there. He's just not… are you sure you can't see him?"

"Do you want me to stick my head out of the back of this ship?" I retorted.

"It'd give you something else to do for a change."

I drove my foot up through his rear end before turning around and pushing my body through the back of the ship. Aside from the few blasts of poisonous fumes in my face, I got several close views of his thrusters. I realized I was about to go headfirst through the back of the ship. My body trembled and yet, after I pushed through the engines and the dangerous space dust, I was met by one of the most unpleasant views. There was a yellow ship, but there were a few more behind it. Bright yellow and red bolts were being exchanged between the two. I snuck out a bit further. Just then, Obi-Wan's ship jolted and I pitched forward, finding my body completely outside the ship. Screaming my head off did nothing. I just felt absolutely terrified in that moment. I kicked back, finding the ship. Even with its vibrating parts, it was much better than being stuck in outer space on my lonesome.

"Uh, Master?"

Obi-Wan glanced up. "Anakin, do you remember our—"

"Master, she's hanging off the back of your ship."

"What? Anakin, I do not have time for this. If you haven't noticed, those droid control ships are launching fighters. Where is Commander Cody?"

"He's obviously late," Anakin's tone was irritated as a panel above his head exploding, showering him in sparks. "I'm sort of under attack now. But I do know that Buffy Summers is hanging by her heels out of the back of your ship. I didn't think you despised her _that _much."

"I don't." Obi-Wan sounded concerned on his end. "Where in blazes is Cody? He said he'd be here!"

"He's late!" Anakin grunted through clenched teeth.

"Well, we have to do something!"

"Master… the only thing keeping her near your ship is the fact she's bound to you. She's hovering near your thrusters."

"Would you give me good news?"

"You're not getting fired on?" Anakin asked, glaring at the two ships he was trying to avoid. "That's the last time I'll take your back."

"And you said you were much more capable than me."

"I know what I said!" Anakin replied. So he was testy. Obi-Wan was almost through the minefield. And then they had the rest of the Trade Federation ships to worry about. Every single defense the Viceroy could think of would be employed against them. Without their Clone backup, well… they were as good as dead. There was no way two Jedi could take out dozens of droid control ships as well as their full attack craft compliments as well as take on the thousands of assorted droids on the surface. There was also the threat of Count Dooku, as well.

For me, well… blasting my way through outer space was one thing. Doing so with mines less than a foot from my wiggling feet was another thing entirely.

Right now, one thing was for certain. I was in deep trouble. Next time, I was going to ignore Obi-Wan Kenobi when he told me to do something.

"Could use a little help here," I groaned, managing to stick my fingers through a wing and kick towards the droid. "Please, for the love of God, someone help me."

_Use the Force._

"Use the Force?" I gasped in disbelief as a mine exploded a few paces beneath me. I felt the heat and fragments of the explosion ripple through me as two sharp chunks pierced the hull of Obi-Wan's cruiser and the ship jolted. I nearly lost the grip on the ship. "What the hell does that mean?"

_Let go._

"No freakin' way."

_If you wish to live, you must trust me._

"As if."

_Close your eyes and just let go._

"How can you ask me to do that?" I screamed out, twisting this way and that as more mines exploded. I could feel the hull stressing under the heat and felt it shift as it collided with even more metallic fragments.

"Master."

"Anakin, I'm a little busy here."

"Master, she's going to fall off."

"And do what… die? She can't die if she's already dead, Anakin. She's a part of the Living Force."

"It doesn't necessarily mean she knows what to do, either. She is bound to you. And right now she's using all of her energy to hold on."

Obi-Wan glanced up. He reached out with the Force, feeling for the source of the anguish. He felt it on his left wing. She was terrified. He felt that as a Jedi terror was a path to anger and hate and all things to the Dark Side. He reached out with his mind, trying to console hers. He felt his essence tap into her terror. His grip tightened on his steering column. He had never felt this fear before. He felt the ship shudder as more fighters approached from the front, sweeping gracefully over them as their ship exited the minefield. The only way to avoid them was to go back; he didn't want to sacrifice his life, but he didn't have much of a choice.

It was nearly impossible to accomplish both tasks at once.

Luckily, Obi-Wan had help.

_Just let go._

"Not until you tell me what the hell I'm letting go to," I responded, my voice little more than a gasp of breath. I was absolutely exhausted from holding on. I felt something in my mind, something that didn't belong there and fighting against it was draining me of everything.

It was beyond terror I felt. It was the absolution of sinking away into nothingness that felt like the greatest cold drop. I was in outer space. I was as good as dead.

_Feel the Force. Release your hand. Let your mind do the rest._

"My mind doesn't work that way," I hissed. I was losing my grip on the wing now. The ship twisted back towards the minefields. Something over my head exploded as one of the droid fighters shot at the craft. "What… what the hell are you doing? You're going back in the mines? That's suicide!"

_He's doing his duty. Now it is time for yours._

"Just tell me what to do, please," I replied, watching as the droid fighters broke off pursuit. It was probably because there was a cascading explosion from several mines at once. It looked like orange fireworks going off over my head. Watching them did absolutely nothing to settle my nerves.

But I did feel one thing. There was suddenly an overwhelming sense of calm. I blinked and stared at my hand. Explosions were going off around me. Anakin's yellow fighter was sweeping awkwardly through the minefield, a great trail of dark smoke pouring out its rear end. Though both ships were receiving a pounding, I knew there was little I could do about it.

"Master…"

Obi-Wan didn't reply. His gaze was on the mines as he expertly navigated them. His mind, however, was elsewhere.

"So much for a surprise attack," I whispered. All I wanted to do now was sleep. My hand slipped from where it was gripping the wing. My foot released its hold from one of the cracks in the hull. My body was floating like a cloud. Though I felt the sweeping sensation of freefall, it was something completely different.

"She's loose."

"I know," Obi-Wan replied, his gaze steadying. "She'll be fine if she doesn't panic."

"Was she afraid?"

"It was beyond terror," Obi-Wan replied softly. "I have never felt anything like it. It is almost as though she knew that we were in trouble far more than she was."

"She didn't want to leave us?" Anakin's voice sounded astonished.

"No, she didn't. She thinks she had some sort of worth here."

"Well, she does," Anakin replied, steadying his own ship as his astro-droid attempted to repair his craft. "But, on the other hand, she's safe now."

"Can you see her?"

"No."

"That's not very comforting."

"She'll be back, Master," Anakin said reassuringly. "If she is a part of the Living Force, she will be back."

"Have you heard sight or caught wind of Commander Cody? I cannot believe he's late."

"Negative, Master," Anakin replied, concern flashing through his dark eyes. "But they'll be here. I know him. They'll be here exactly when we need them the most."

"That doesn't inspire much confidence."

"I know, Master. But give him time. Maybe he's… maybe he just got delayed."

"Delayed? Do you know how dead we are if he was delayed if only a moment?"

"He's over an hour late, Master."

"Well, I don't know how much longer we can wait."

x-o-x

Meanwhile, I was floating on a cloud. When I looked around, I recognized the place. It was the desert again. But instead of a mountain lion, I saw a man sitting on a rock, staring into the horizon. As I approached him, he turned and smiled at me. "You should learn to trust me," he said gently.

"I don't trust easily."

"You seem to trust Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and yet you know little of them."

"I trust them because they're doing the thing good guys do. I know you even less."

"I am afraid I may have to dispute that," the man said, standing. He really was much taller than I was. "Come. As Obi-Wan Kenobi has not told you, I find it my responsibility to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"The reason why you have come here," he replied. I glanced at him in surprise. "And what you can do to help them."

"You're telling me now?" I asked, gesturing behind me at the desert. "But why now? They're in danger! They're going to die! They're—"

"What can you offer them other than cutting sarcasm and your bitter remarks?" he asked kindly, staring at me with that solemn gaze. I had no answer for him. Okay, so I'm pretty much useless, but he didn't have to rub it in my face like that. "You could have a purpose again. You could have a reason."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I am not in any position to kid you, Miss Summers," he replied, holding out his arm to gesture to the horizon. "But we have a lot to talk about and there isn't a lot of time. By the time you return, you will find much has changed."

"If you mean I deal with two dead Jedi…"

"They are perfectly capable of taking care of the situation themselves," he said. "They just have one less thing to worry about."

"Me?"

"You. You, my dear, have given them the greatest hint of all that would suggest you are not a Jedi." He paused as they continued walking. "You showed your fear."

"Let me guess… Jedi don't get scared?"

"Oh, we feel fear. We feel terror. But we cannot allow our emotions to get the better of us. We tap into the Force. As you are part of the Living Force, it is harder for you to accomplish, but essential if you wish to accomplish anything in this world. I will show you how, but we do not have much time. In fact, we have almost no time." His gaze clouded over. "Both ships are under attack. They will not survive bottlenecked in a minefield. The droids are willing to collapse it just to flush the Jedi out. This is giving the Viceroy time to prepare an escape. We must not let that happen." He glanced at me. "This, my dear, is where you come in."

I just watched as he continued on, nearly disappearing into the light. The only thing I could think of to say at that moment was…

"Huh?"

x-o-x

_Yeah, so things are turning more serious. Buffy will get her inner CIA chick on as well as discover some new powers. As for the never-ending question about Buffy regaining an actual body, I will say that I have no immediate plans to do such a thing. I feel it more pertinent to explore her dead people skills before I tackle on anything else. No one knows what I'm planning for this story, which is the awesome part about going in without a beta. Well, I would have taken a beta, but as Grace is my beta and this story was sort of a gift for her, it didn't make much sense to ask her to edit her own gift. Hence, all plot devices will remain unexposed. _


	8. From the Beginning

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **From the Beginning

**Summary: ** Part of Buffy's past is revealed as her true role in the Living Force… and she thought being a Slayer was bad…

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars. This chapter includes some tidbits and quotes from a few Buffy episodes.

**Notes: **I honestly didn't mean to wait this long before posting. Had I actually had a chapter that was done, I would have moved it along. I'm feeling quite better now (yay!) but work has decided to kick me in the rear, literally. Combining that with the stress my family is under for my dear brother-in-law departing for Iraq within a few days, well… let's just say that March has been quite hard on me. It took forever to write this chapter out, too… nothing seemed quite right to get this point across. Rest assured, Buffy will be entering the "living world" again and more humor will ensue. This is the only "serious" chapter I have planned.

x-o-x

**From the Beginning**

After walking a few paces through the familiar desert landscape, I was beginning to think that this was a Slayer-dream-like franchise. Every single odd Slayer dream that required talking to someone that wasn't one of my core friends seemed to take place in this stupid desert, unless it was on Coruscant. I would take the old city-planet any day over this boring desert. Hell, I'd take another ride in Obi-Wan's fighter than trudge on behind the tall form of Qui-Gon Jinn in the vast, endless desert.

Okay. Now this was getting ridiculous.

"How much farther is it?"

"Why didn't you ask me to stop?" he asked, not bothering to glance over his shoulder and talk to her.

"Would that have worked?"

"If you had asked politely, perhaps something could have been arranged."

This was one strange Jedi. He had Obi-Wan's calm demeanor and yet Anakin's wit and sarcasm. Yes, folks… I am in hell.

"If I ask politely now, would you tell us where we're going?"

"Only you can know that answer."

Great. More cryptic.

"So if I just walk away now…"

He stopped and half-turned back towards me. "Only you could know what would happen."

I took one step off of the well-worn path, stepping over a few dirty little cacti and moving sideways away. He just watched me curiously.

"Nothing happened," I countered.

"Precisely."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you are none the closer for discovering your true purpose here." He sounded amused now. "If you divert now, where will you go? Would you return to a battle where your skills are not needed? Or would you walk forward and learn your true purpose as a tool of the Living Force?"

"I'm a tool now?"

"That is beside the point," he added gently. "The point is, the path is long."

"Well, I'm not getting any older," I muttered under my breath.

"Nor are we moving any closer."

"Always the wise guy," I said, squinting in his direction. "And yet never all that wise."

"My hearing is still quite good despite my age," he said smoothly, smiling slightly in my direction. "Shall we?"

I sighed, walked back towards the path, and trudged along after the old man. Though I still had dark thoughts running through my head, I didn't voice them. For all I knew, then he'd walk me in circles. I'd never notice as the desert was just that… the desert. How blah.

And yet… where else could I go?

x-o-x

Night was finally starting to fall wherever we were. I'd been walking for what seemed like hours towards an endless dusk. It seemed to be mocking me. Stupid dusk. And whenever I tried to make polite conversation with the nice Jedi, he always answered in short, vague sentences. Stupid men. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He stopped walking finally, nearly causing me to run through him. I stopped just in time, glancing beyond his broad frame. With a resigned sigh, I turned to glare up at the older Jedi. "Does every single desert in this world have that stupid fire?"

"The fire is not our concern," he said, glancing down at me. He lifted his arm and gestured to a set of caverns on the horizon. "Those are your concern. Perhaps you would care to… take a walk?"

"What do you think I've been doing all day, buddy?" I snapped, neatly stepping around him and staring at the vague caverns loitering in the distance. "And what are you going to do while I'm walking? Pray?"

"A Jedi never reveals all," he replied blandly as he settled down on a rock, neatly crossing his legs.

"Meditation," I sighed.

"You know this?" he asked, gesturing to his stoic form.

"Yeah," I said dryly. "Your former Padawan does that a lot."

"To reach out with the Force is to know one without knowing."

"That made no sense whatsoever."

"You should walk," he added, dropping his elbows to his knees. "It will be dark soon."

I just shrugged and began walking. And walked. And walked some more. As the shadows began stretching out about the land, I took comfort in knowing that whatever metaphysical desert this was, there were likely no mountain lions or other carnivorous animals just waiting for me to walk by.

And then it hit me. In the normal world, I had no form. I was selfless, shapeless, identified only by my sharp wit and tongue. I had a body here. I had my clothes, my hands and my hair.

I reached up and touched my head. I grinned. My hair felt so soft and perfect. And though I was still wearing the same clothing from my dive, they looked as though I'd just washed them that morning. They smelled as though they'd been hanging out in a spring meadow for about a month. My skin had a certain glow to it from the angle of the sun just barely visible over crimson canyons in the distance and apparently the flush of afterlife.

Oh, I could so get used to this.

No hair or clothing maintenance? No worrying about sunscreen or skin care products to take away the smudged eyes and the itchy skin? If I had a closet full of clothes and a room full of shoes, this might just be Heaven.

Almost.

I continued walking…

x-o-x

And I walked some more. This was boring now. Yes, I hated this. I hated not knowing where I was going at a time where I really didn't understand anything. Oh, I understood Yoda. Something that small and green had a wicked load of power and was not a little alien to be messed with. That made two of us.

But I don't really understand why I'm being dragged around behind Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. I mean, for men, they were bona fide hotties. But as to what I could contribute to two Jedi who had years of experience in flying spaceships and whipping out lightsabers. I was a little jealous because they had such skills and I felt like dead weight. What could I do? What am I supposed to do?

And Qui-Gon thinks that talking to a bunch of rocks will help me? He was about as cracked as… well, Spike, in a really endearing sort of way. But knowing me, what was I going to do with a mentor? Giles was my Watcher… he taught me what I needed to know to survive as a Slayer. I needed a dead Jedi to teach me how to be a dead person? Please.

At last I reached the canyons. There was a small crack in the face of one of the walls. I took a step towards it, but then paused. Why was I so sure that this was where I needed to go? My mind was telling me that it would be okay to just walk inside.

So I did.

It was surprisingly light inside. Ducking inside the entrance, I found myself in an actual room.

"What?" I asked softly, glancing around. There were arches with some weird inscriptions on them. But the thing that captured my attention was the box conveniently placed in the center. It was on a rock of some sort. "Well, isn't this a cliché?"

I walked forward to the box, but something suddenly stopped me. Bouncing back, I reached out and my hand struck something both solid and invisible. It reached out and I _felt _it… some sort of amazing energy. It made the Slayer inside me tingle. Evil, maybe, I thought to myself. It definitely didn't feel right.

"Death…"

I turned around, glancing about me. For some reason, my Slayer-enhanced hearing had picked up a single whispered word. Death. Well, yeah… I was dead. Couldn't get any deader than I already am. Now this is just pathetic.

"Death…"

"… is my gift," I murmured, looking back to the center rock and pressing my hand against the energy barrier. "I already bled for one portal, so I'm really hoping I don't have to do it again. Dying sucked the first time around."

"Told to you, that was."

That was Yoda's voice, sounding somewhere far, far above my head. It was ridiculous because Yoda wasn't here; he was back on Coruscant where he belonged. And I wasn't even sure where _here _was. Why was I always stuck with the cryptic? It wasn't fair to always confuse the one that had to save the world.

"So… what happens now?"

"You don't know."

_Tara?_

I turned around and suddenly I was in a different place in a different time. I was back in my bedroom at Revello Drive. I blinked and saw Tara standing there. She was gazing down.

"I've heard this before."

She looked up and smiled. "You have… because I told you. You don't know who you are… not yet. Death won't stop that. Death can't stop that."

"I don't understand though," I said with a sigh, dropping onto the bed behind me. It felt so real. "What are you doing here?"

"She chose me to speak for her."

"You're the first Slayer, aren't you?"

Tara just smiled again. "You're not dead. None of us are truly ever dead. We pass on from one dimension to the next. Sometimes it's a heavenly dimension. And sometimes it isn't."

"I just feel like an idiot though. All I can really do is talk with little action."

"Why?"

_Why? _I thought about that for a moment and then it occurred to me. I was a ghost in the living realm and I couldn't touch anything much less hold any form. "Because I'm… dead?"

"Death won't stop you," Tara replied, walking to my side and sitting down next to me. "Death can't stop you."

"Would you please just tell me what the heck that means, I'd really appreciate it." So I'm grumpy. I've just had far too much cryptic today and it doesn't make a Slayer happy.

"You already know the answer if you search inside yourself."

"Let's pretend I don't," I muttered.

She just gave me another smile and rose. "You think you know what's to come, but you have only begun. This journey is long but you are able. There is much to learn, so much to do before you sleep."

"Before I sleep," I began slowly, "by that you mean put my head down and show up in Heaven, right?"

"Yes."

"Glad we cleared that one up," I replied sarcastically. "I don't get what the other part means."

"I cannot tell you. Only you can know the way."

"And that's just totally useless to me," I griped, jumping up and spinning around to face her. Only I was suddenly facing the energy barrier and the rock with that stupid box on top of it. Sighing, I smacked my hand into the barrier, hearing the familiar hiss as it rejected my attempt to pass through.

Death is my gift… yes, I saved the world by dying. Now suddenly death can't stop me… from doing what? And what do I have to learn about being a Slayer that I haven't learned yet? Instead of feeling I had the answers, now I had so many more questions that my head was spinning. I closed my eyes for a moment; it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Or maybe it was just me.

"You're not wrong."

I opened my eyes and saw my sister standing in the cave in front of me. "Dawn," I whispered.

"You weren't wrong," she said, taking a few steps closer towards me. "The thing is, you saved the world when you died. But now… you can't save them all."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," I snapped. "I don't exactly have a body to do damage."

"No," she replied. "You have a soul."

Those words made me blink a few seconds before I tried to regroup. "What could I possibly do with my soul?"

"What any other soul would do," Dawn said, very seriously. "You find a body to go along with it."

The thought of being stuffed into someone's body, especially someone like Angel, was terrifying. But before I could ask her what she meant by that, she walked until she was standing straight in front of me. "You have the power… they will show you the way."

"The Jedi?"

"Yes," she said in a soft voice. "You are a part of something larger than you ever dreamed possible. From the beginning, this was your fate. Death would come swiftly, but not before you were able to do what was necessary. You have done this."

"Obviously because I'm dead." Now I'm getting cranky again… great.

"But now…" And here she positively beamed. "Now this is just the beginning."

"The beginning of what?"

"Of the end."

I spun around to see another figure standing behind me. "What do you mean?" I asked anxiously. "Why is this the beginning?"

"Have you been a Jedi before?"

"Well, no…"

"Have you died before?"

"Once before this," I replied, glaring at the figure in front of me. "And you know when I died the first time… you brought me back."

The figure of Xander Harris stepped into the light, shrugging. "Personally, I don't really get this whole life after death thing. I find it completely psychotic how someone can choose their destiny before they die and suddenly they're on the ropes and…" He drew his finger across his throat with a rather humorous look on his face. "But the thing is… what I do get… I hear things. I see things. And you are someone that gets noticed a lot. You don't see it because you're always doing the right thing. Well, this wasn't the right place to be, but it was the smartest. They chose you. They saw something in you that made them think 'hey, this girl know what she's going'. It obviously cost them a lot to drag your soul here, even after that portal all but obliterated it."

"I don't care if they chose me," I replied. "I don't even want to be here. I have no place here… I can't even do anything!"

"But you can, don't you see?" my former Watcher, Rupert Giles, said, coming up behind me. "Can't you see that even as a soul you have the power to do _great things_?"

"This sounds like one of your stupid books," I sneered. I was tired of this now. My friends had no right to show up here and start demanding things and telling me cryptic bull that I wouldn't get even if I was still alive and still the real Buffy Summers.

"It's your heart, lover."

My stomach dropped as I spied a pair of shiny black shoes on the ground directly in front of me. "Oh, no," I breathed. "Not you, too."

"You have a soul… but the heart, that counts for something. I've seen it, pure and true. I've seen it bleed. I've seen it in such agony that I felt as though you were going to die."

"This doesn't make sense," I muttered, refusing to look up.

"You're not looking hard enough." Dawn again.

"If you could see what I see, you'd see that even as a soul you have great power." Xander.

"You don't have a body, but you have your mind."

"Is it adding up yet?" This was Willow. I could feel her presence next to me.

And then it suddenly added up. There was a spell done a little over a year ago to destroy Adam, using Giles' brains, Xander's heart, Willow's witchy powers and my… well, for lack of a better word, body.

"What does it mean?"

"It means that without your body, you are stronger."

This was Obi-Wan now. He was fighting for his life in the minefield and yet he was there, standing between Xander and Willow with that slightly smug smile on his face and his arms were crossed.

"It's time to let go. Let go…" Tara was back, disguised as the First Slayer.

"Let go of what?"

"You have to let go of the past," Giles said gently, stepping closer to me. "You have your strength – it is in your heart and your soul and your mind. Only your body brought it together once. You have everything you need, if only you realize that—"

"Only if I realize that I will never be corporeal again," I whispered.

The others nodded and seemed to fade a bit as I began to pace.

"You were never stupid," Giles continued in that gentle tone. "You were always smarter than you played at. You have an extraordinarily tough heart. You were never one to let others walk over you. You liked your space."

"But… the bond…" I protested. "I can't get more than a hundred feet away from Obi-Wan or else I get dragged backwards." I forced myself to glare at Obi-Wan pointedly. He just resumed looking smug and prissy-like.

"We can go around that," Willow said, stepping forward. "We'll find a way. We always do."

"It'll be like old times," Xander grinned.

"But you're not here," I said, feeling an extraordinary amount of sadness all of a sudden.

"We have never left you," Dawn said. "Buffy, we're inside you. You can hear our voices. That's where we are right now."

I turned away from all of them, rubbing my tired eyes and the back of my neck. "What do I do?"

"These answers, seek not. Your questions, ask not."

"Yoda." I closed my eyes again. "If I don't ask… how will I ever know?"

"You have to believe in yourself, pet. We always believed in you."

"Spike…" I murmured. This was almost too much; it was a reunion from Hell, literally.

"This isn't about knowing what to do or what not to do," he said, setting his very realistic hand on my shoulder. "This is about feeling your gut instinct and going with it. It's about knowing you're right and in that moment doing the right thing. If you think its right, it probably is. Your gut rarely let you down before."

I nodded slightly; this made sense. Good old Spike, always saying the thing that didn't make me feel like an idiot just because the others could talk way smarter than me.

"So you have a heart. That's always good, it means you're still capable of feeling things. A soul is always handy so you don't go all twisting evil and try to kill the Jedi you work with. Having brains isn't something you ever lacked. And without a body, you can still do the things a ghost can do."

"What are you…" And then it clicked, just as Giles said it.

"There is an extraordinary amount of research out now about possession and the dangers it causes."

"I can possess things?"

"You haven't tried it yet?" Giles asked, slightly hurt.

"I never even though about it," I replied, stunned.

"It may not have been the answer you were looking for, but it's a start," Willow said firmly.

"You will find your fire again," Giles said. "You just have to find a different way."

"And you will," Xander smiled. "You always have."

"Every Slayer knows her weapon," Tara shrugged. "You will find that weapon. You use whatever you need. You always have."

"Thank you," I muttered sarcastically, feeling more bewildered. The others seemed to fade except one. Dawn stood beside me as I placed my hand at the barrier. I felt my hand press through the barrier and stepped into the inner circle. Looking behind me, I found the cavern empty.

The box was straight ahead now. Walking forward, I got down on my knees, released the clasp and pushed the lid open.

x-o-x

Qui-Gon was still meditating when I returned. The stars seemed to have exploded overhead, casting a silver glow to the desert around us. Instead of being annoyed about the desert, I felt only a spirited sort of awe.

Although I was still feeling resentful towards my internal pep-talk, getting that all out in the open had done me some good, I realized. Though I didn't know the truth, I felt better. I felt renewed, even… alive perhaps.

"You have found what you were looking for?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"I found something," I agreed, sitting on the rock behind him. "It's just that… I still don't understand."

"In time, you will," he replied. "You have just taken the first step toward becoming something greater than you ever were as a Slayer."

"Even without shape or self, I can make a difference," I realized, shaking my head. "And here I thought I was just dead weight."

He turned and looked at me. In the deepening twilight, I saw his eyes twinkle. "What will you do now?"

In the distance, I heard the distinct rustle of the wind. With a gentle smile, I closed my eyes. My mind was telling me to get back to the fight. I could do some good there. Not to mention they'd need some comic relief right about now and I could insult with the best of them. Opening my eyes, I saw the pleased look on Qui-Gon's face as I rose steadily.

"You are ready."

"I think so," I said, shrugging. "I'm not really sure what to make of things."

"Did you really understand being a Slayer at the beginning?"

"Well," I said, thinking back to how freaked out I was about the whole Slaying thing. "No…"

"Well, then," he said, wearing a semi-victorious smile. "What are you waiting for?"

"An apocalypse?"

"You might just get your wish," he said, his face falling slightly.

"I suppose I wouldn't get a straight answer if I asked why."

"You would be right in that assumption."

"Call it a lucky guess," I replied. Looking out at the night, I felt a renewed sense of wanting to be anywhere but here.

"Go."

I turned back to see Qui-Gon looking at me. "What?"

"You should go. You long to be back out there hanging onto the end of that star fighter; I won't argue."

"Well… I guess so…" I glanced at the vast desert behind me. The thought of trudging that immeasurable expanse again wasn't very appealing.

Yet, I thought, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. And I, for one, am glad I'm a girl.

x-o-x

_I think this is the end of the most serious side of things for awhile. Buffy's role is somewhat revealed, but the ultimate test is still coming… and now she returns to the battle knowing almost nothing new._


	9. And Buffy Makes Three

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **And Buffy Makes Three

**Summary: ** Buffy returns to the battle…

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **I honestly didn't think it would take this long to write this chapter. If it makes you feel better, I've had the last chapter written for about three months now and I didn't feel like posting that, so I went with this. I haven't been feeling well lately and on a positive note, my tests today went fantastic. The results aren't perfect and I have a lot to deal with, but at least now I know the truth. Therefore, I wanted to get this done in case something happens that might affect my future ability to write. The past month has been an extremely painful lesson, but at least I'm on medical leave. On the work front, there were two major cases in the past week, which delayed the chapter further. My days of writing without care of the world around me are LONG gone… sadly. Here you go - a shiny chapter. I really hope that it's okay… I knew what I wanted to do, it was getting it on the paper that was the problem!

x-o-x

**And Buffy Makes Three**

When I found myself on my feet again, I wasn't where I expected to be. Instead of clinging helplessly to the back of a cruiser as it sped through a vast field of asteroids, I was in a cramped hall that had none of the charm of the Jedi Temple back on Coruscant. In fact, even though I was able to float easily through the floor, the walls, the windows, the ceiling and through whoever decided to walk through me, I felt positively claustrophobic. Even the feeling was different. Instead of feeling like I was in a place of calm and controlled minds, I was stuck inside a tin-box full of gunfire.

And then it occurred to me that something might actually be wrong.

I turned and walked through one wall to reemerge on the other side with a slight whooshing noise. The sound of gunfire intensified. I continued moving automatically forward, unsure why I needed to be headed directly to the battle when the most I could accomplish was a bit of snide comments with a side of possession. Knowing me, the possession part was iffy. I had never been one to trust ghosts and basically thought all invisible people needed a stark reality check.

And here I was… a bloody ghost, as Spike would say. I was powerless to all that went on around me.

Well, I was mostly powerless.

I felt a sudden shift in the air. At the other end of the corridor, a pair of doors opened and three large objects came rolling through. They were followed by twelve of the ugliest things I had ever seen. Honestly… it looked like those robots that those stupid science geeks back at Sunnydale High would build out of old Coke cans and twine. And yet they moved with a sort of jerky grace, their weapons held in their metallic little fingers as they marched to the left behind the rolling mechanical whatever-they-were-called.

I decided to follow up on the string-bean robots. As I snuck in behind them, I heard a distinct voice from the other side of the door. "The Jedi have stormed the building," came a low, amphibious hiss. When the doors parted to allow more of these tin-can robots through, I caught a glimpse of two aliens who looked more like talking fish than anything I recognized. Before I could do any real surveillance, the doors closed, the robots ploughed through me and I was once again standing in a confined, tinny hallway like an idiot.

There was nothing more for it… I was going to have to follow them if I wanted in where the action was. That's me… action Buffy. Only this time, my mind is formulating a plan… sort of.

As I rushed to keep up with the automatons that, for their constructive glory were actually quite speedy, I caught a look outside. For a moment I froze. "Wow," I whispered, pressing my face right to the glass but being absolutely sure I kept from going back outside. The entire city was actually built with skyscrapers that would sadly rival the Empire State Building. But what really drew my attention was the space battle raging right over the city. Several large ships that looked like Commander Cody's were firing at large ships that looked like flying saucers from television. "Is this real?" I marveled, watching the ensuing battle above me.

That was, until a large section from one of the flying saucers went suddenly spinning out of control, colliding with one of the tall structures directly in front of me. The result was a fireball that seemed to curl downwards. The building I was in shook and I found myself on the verge of flying into said battle. Stepping back, I turned and hurried after the robots again. It was then that this powerful feeling hit me, nearly knocking me through yet another wall. I stopped running for a moment to pause on the sudden tingle I felt, even though I had no body.

Wherever he was, whatever he was doing… Obi-Wan was in trouble. And I felt another pull. Anakin was with him.

Even though there was little I could do, I had to do something. I had to find a way. That wasn't just the girl in me, it was the Slayer too. And she was just dying for some payback.

x-o-x

Meanwhile, several levels up, two Jedi poured through a corridor cluttered with the fallen forms of dozens of droids. They were the pathetic forms that they had once faced back on Geonosis and the ones Obi-Wan had faced way back on Naboo, which he considered to be the highlight of his Jedi career.

Stepping out of the room while kicking aside the metallic debris, Anakin glanced out at the large, bay windows that looked out over the whole of the command structure they were currently working their way through. Outside, Anakin could see thick, black smoke curling up from the impacts of the ships on the buildings as well as significant fire still being exchanged between both sides. Drawing a soft breath, his eyes glanced towards the Republic's clone ships now drawing closer to the landing bays.

Wincing, Anakin remembered the past few hours; he had left Obi-Wan hanging after the Jedi had lost his Living Force escort. Obi-Wan had managed to make it through the minefield and get to the landing bays and had only damaged an engine doing so. R4 was less lucky, but the little droid had a wicked sense of humor. Anakin hadn't even made it into the minefield yet.

When he had finally reached the landing bay, Commander Cody had come to the rescue. Instead of Obi-Wan being dragged by a tractor beam into an ion storm, the clone troopers had stepped in, destroying the two droid-controlled ships. Obi-Wan had then limped off to the landing bay and had begun the pursuit of the Viceroy.

It wasn't that Anakin was being careless; he just had more important things on his mind. He was rather irritated at the two little ships that had been chasing him. He had taken a few fancy turns, showing off for no one in particular as he led both fighters to their doom. They were certainly not a match for the best pilot in the galaxy, no way and no how. It was a sentiment he shared with Obi-Wan moments after he freed his master from a storage room that had been rapidly filling with both dangerous toxic gases and water. The droids had learned their lesson the first time.

Now they had made their way into the open corridor. Obi-Wan hadn't yet spoken to him, not even to thank him for saving his life. They fought side-by-side and yet Obi-Wan maintained his silence. Anakin was desperate for his former Master to speak to him; he felt guilty enough about leaving Obi-Wan in two precarious situations alone. Even when that ghost-figure form of Buffy was there, she could have at least kept him entertained by rambling on and on like she always did.

Now, after glimpsing the battle surging on over the city, Anakin felt a grim smile press his lips. Obi-Wan passed behind him, deactivating his lightsaber. His beard twitched as he followed Anakin's gaze and sighed slowly. "Well, we certainly can't take on the entire army."

Anakin felt relieved that Obi-Wan had spoken, but wasn't prepared to answer that one question. "Cody will come," Anakin assured his Master, forcing his voice into the cocky overconfidence he usually displayed when showing off his rather abundant skills. "If he doesn't…"

"I wasn't quite sure you were coming," Obi-Wan said in a lighthearted tone, glancing at Anakin with slight suspicion in his eyes. "And yet I figured you had never let me down."

"I didn't let you down, Master," Anakin replied slowly. "I was… engaged."

"Oh, yes," Obi-Wan snorted, amused. "I recall seeing that sort of engagement… it involves you using gravity from the asteroid fields to catapult your enemies onto the sharpest surface. I don't recall seeing that in the mission briefing. Perhaps I missed it."

At this point, Obi-Wan was abusing sarcasm, Anakin thought dryly. "I was still engaged with the enemy. It wasn't my fault you thought you could take on the Viceroy's guards alone."

Obi-Wan shot him a dark look and Anakin shook his head, his keen ears suddenly attuned to the sound of more droids approaching. "We should hurry," Obi-Wan said, glancing over his shoulder. "They are closing in our position."

The two Jedi quickly moved off down the corridor.

x-o-x

I'm bored again. Following droids that look quite stupid was even more boring than staying behind and watching the battle. I suddenly didn't care if I was sucked back into the sky. Even another go in the cavern o' destiny was more enthralling than this!

I stopped when I suddenly heard voices talking. They were coming from a corridor running parallel to ours. Judging by how they sounded, they were worth a peek. Tucking my body away from the droids, I found myself in a room with two ugly creatures. They were worse than the droids. They reminded me of some weird science fiction flick Xander had forced me to watch at some point. A cross between a frog and an alien, they had thick lips, slurred incomprehensible speech and waddled like ducks.

"The Jedi are in the temple," the one was saying to the other. "I have sent the droids to deal with them. They will soon be locked down."

"We should arrange a transport," the second said, his lips barely moving. When he blinked, it was creepy. I was hit by the sudden desire to serious injure or kill them both, but I held my stance. I am, after all, only a ghost. Instead, I fixed them full of bad vibes and seriously wished Obi-Wan was here, jamming his lightsaber up this guy's wide and rather amphibious ass. Instead, I was forced to watch as they turned, cackling, still speaking about 'Jedi scum' and 'should have killed them on Geonosis'.

I was really going to have to talk to these guys about telling me what I needed to know. I didn't know what Geonosis was or who it was or how it was related to my two Jedi. Being attached to Obi-Wan was hard work, I decided as I peeled out of there. I had to catch up to the droids somehow. They had disappeared again and this place was a maze of tight passageways and doors that seemed a bit too foreboding.

And yet, I could feel Obi-Wan's presence. I don't really know how I can feel him, but I realize that as my cross thingy now belongs to him I guess a part of my soul does, as well. Lucky me. I'm stuck with the one tight-ass Jedi. Even if he did have a rather appealing rear, it wasn't nearly as stellar as Anakin's. Now _there _was a man with my sort of style. And he had that dangerous, broody look about him that attracted me all too well.

Okay, now I'm daydreaming about the two hot Jedi. Hot… yes, that they are. But right now they are in deep trouble, and that's about as hot as it can get.

I decided to forgo my usual fear about floating upwards and went for broke. I jumped up, felt my body pass through ice-cold metallic bulkheads and wiring that seemed to feel different as I passed my way through it. Once I got to the next level, I planted my feet down, smoothed my non-existent clothes and glanced around me, hoping to see something. I was in a narrow hallway of sorts, but I couldn't figure out where. There were no dandy windows looking over a battle anymore. There were no droids passing through cursing the existence of Jedi when they should be cursing those morons who made them so dinky. Nope… I was nowhere, engulfed in nothing and, better yet, my senses were starting to go haywire.

Thank God for my slayer radar, especially when I could do nothing to satisfy it.

I really wish I could insult someone right about now.

x-o-x

"Master, we're in trouble."

"I can see that," Obi-Wan grunted as he drove his lightsaber through the neck of a single droid before twisting his wrist and bringing the glowing staff through the abdomen of a second. As both droids collapsed, he reached out with his mind through the Force and pushed them away, allowing another flood of droids to enter the small room.

Surrounded by five entrances, all of which seemed intent on filling with droids, the two Jedi stood back-to-back. Somewhere along the line, Cody's promise of showing up with clones to assist with the droid army numbering in the thousands had faded, leaving both Jedi with resentful thoughts towards their Clone commander. The only thing they could really do was block blaster bolts flashing from five separate directions. There really wasn't any way out and, adding to their predicament, more Destroyers were filling the ranks of the dead droids. The larger super battle droids were also starting to appear, red flashes emanating hot bolts from their wrist weapon devices.

Yet neither Jedi was ready to give up just yet.

x-o-x

My salvation came in the form of a Republic clone fighter, which smashed through the wall and landed in a twisted, fiery heap about ten feet in front of me. Though I scampered back, there was nothing funny about white-hot shrapnel shredding through my precious ghost-y self.

Waving a hand through the smoke, I moved to the next parallel corridor after passing through a gaping hole full of warped metal and scorched wires. It was probably some deadly poison I had walked through, too.

Suddenly, my ghost-y self had a lot more appeal.

Two things happened when I stepped away from the debris. I found light again, something that my Slayer-keen eyes had been desperate to find again, since looking around a narrow corridor in the dark was not fun. The other thing that happened was a battalion of droids were marching by.

I needed to follow them and, judging by the swell of fury within me, something was happening to the Jedi. Deciding I had nothing left to lose, I rushed forward and threw my body into the droid's. The sensation was downright scary, but I had to give the droid a lot more credit than I did before. I screamed, but all the droid did was shake its head like a mad dog.

Slipping the gun more tightly, I felt my fingers curl around metal as I stared at the beautiful weapon. It wasn't a bright blue blade of light, but it was a start.

Grinning wickedly, I began marching, lifting my weapon and aiming it for the back of that stupid tin-can's head.

I felt like me again… I was feeling alive.

x-o-x

"If we ever get out of this, I'm going to seriously hurt that man."

Obi-Wan turned with a bemused smirk to Anakin. The two were sealed inside a bulkhead. Their lightsabers had been taken, but at least they were alive and uninjured. Why, they had no idea. Being stored in a tiny corner cabinet with barely enough room for two to stand would have been hilarious in a normal situation. But when their situation was dire and their chance to capture the Viceroy of the Trade Federation was slipping away, well… they were still fortunate to be alive. And yet neither one of them could figure out why.

"Corporal, retrieve them."

"Roger, roger."

"This is good," Obi-Wan muttered, feeling along the smooth wall panels until he felt a flush creep into his cheeks and pulled his hand back; Anakin's eyes were twinkling at him in the darkness and Obi-Wan knew exactly what he had just done.

"Glad you enjoyed it, Master," Anakin beamed at him, evident even in the darkness.

"Now is not the time to tease me," Obi-Wan replied, feeling his old grumpiness take over. As the door opened, they were faced with normal battle droids.

"Out," one ordered, holding his weapon as a gesture and pointing to the floor. "Process them."

"Process us for what?" Anakin muttered as he felt the cold barrel prod him in his back.

"No speaking."

"Why can't I talk since you're obviously going to kill us anyway?" Anakin grumbled as he ambled along.

"No speaking."

"Stupid droids," Anakin sighed as they continued moving, turning a sharp corner where another battalion of droids were waiting. There were only a dozen in this group, but he noticed that their two lightsabers had been attached to its bony hips.

"Jedi scum."

"Yes, yes, we _know,_" Anakin couldn't resist saying.

"No speaking."

This damned thing sounded like a broken record! As they trudged along, Obi-Wan's mind was formulating a plan to retrieve their lightsabers and get out of there alive. Anakin was doing his job glowering and pushing buttons with their luck. If they weren't dead by now, it was for a reason. His mind was about to settle on something when an overwhelming sense of calm nearly stopped him straight in his footsteps. He felt the cold barrel of the droid's weapon tip into his back and forced himself to go onwards. He felt as though the Living Force had just given him this great, swelling feeling of hope.

Commander Cody might not be here, but someone was.

And that someone was sending off vibes so powerful it was almost overwhelming. Glancing sideways at Anakin, he saw that his former Padawan had a strange look on his face. Anakin met Obi-Wan's steady gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line.

The power was flooding inside him, reaching to his fingertips, but Obi-Wan did not make his move. He could not make his move. Not yet… he had to wait for the perfect time.

x-o-x

I had seen them. They were prisoners of the clunky droids, but at least they were alive. They looked slightly worse off than when I had last seen them, but they were standing and walking. Well, Obi-Wan looked quiet and grumpy. Anakin kept making offhand comments to the droids. I couldn't help but smile; Anakin had my kind of humor. And when he looked like that, all dangerous with those scratches?

Down girl.

Smiling, I continued along behind the other droids, attempting not to blow my cover. Well, not until I could shoot the whole lot of them. There were other droids that were rolling out – destroyers. Droidikas? God, my memory sucks.

You can't blame a girl for being out of her element, I guess.

I continued to walk until we reached a room. One of the droids tapped on a button and the door slid open from the bottom. "Inside," he commanded in that nerdy, nasal tone. Obi-Wan and Anakin shuffled inside. I followed until I saw what was inside. It was definitely a trap.

Curling my fingers around the weapon, I gazed at the panel on the door and reached over and with a tap of my metallic hand, I sealed the Jedi inside. They both turned around, rushing out in protest, but they were already locked in. Turning to face the droids behind me, I gazed at the two lightsabers with a twinkle in my eye. "I'm taking those."

"Those weren't your orders."

"Orders? I don't need to follow orders," I replied, sliding my hand down the shaft of the gun and feeling the soft click beneath the grasp. Yes, metallic fingers though they were, they served the purpose I wanted. "Since when have I followed orders?"

"Return the droid to the processing center," one muttered to another. "It needs repairs."

"Why? Because I'm suddenly thinking outside of the tin can?" I said, watching their reactions gleefully. Well, if they had had facial expressions, it would have been better. I could still annoy droids to the point they fingered their weapons and started moving their feet, swaying like they were drunk. I imagined for a second what it would be like to take something like rum and ignite it beneath them. Screaming droids… yes, that was a pleasant thought.

And then I felt something jab into my shoulder. That was not a pleasant thought.

"You've just done the dumbest thing you could have done," I said, lifting my weapon back up. The droid who threatened me didn't last three seconds against a Slayer's rage and the surprising flexibility of the stupid tin can I was possessing. This was awesome, I thought, bending over completely backwards and shoving my gun up underneath his chin. His head fell off before he had a chance to react. Smiling a smile I alone knew I had, I returned to my standing position and glanced at the astonished gazes on the faces of the other droids now surrounding me. "Now that we've got that established… any questions?"

x-o-x

Once they had taken out the four droids inside the tiny closet, both Jedi returned to the door, listening to the sound of fire being exchanged.

"Do you think Cody has come for us at last?" Anakin mused as he pressed his ear to the door.

"I don't hear any voices except for droids," Obi-Wan frowned, stepping back from the door. What they couldn't see was a droid with strength and flexibility they couldn't have believed even if they had seen it with their own eyes. It was kicking aside the other droids and using the Living Force to enhance the weapons fire. Aside from that, it sacrifices a great many ding on its arm as it swung its way through a entire ring of droids, leaving a single unit standing in the middle of a pile of rubble.

Reaching down, the droid picked up two lightsabers and tucked them inside its belt. A moment later, it seemed to step back on one leg and move the hip joints slightly. If anyone had been watching, it would have appeared the droid was modeling its newest acquisitions.

What they did hear was the sound of another flank approaching. Glancing at his former mentor stormily, Anakin stepped away from the door as the sounds of firepower grew. Obi-Wan leapt away too the moment he heard a familiar hiss of a missile on the other side of the door. Suddenly understanding the intent of the one droid, he let out a cry and spun away from the door just as something hard slammed into it. Fragments of scorching metal flew in every direction and smoke filled their entire room. Coughing slightly, Anakin dove for his Master, who was on the ground and not moving.

"Master," Anakin whispered under his breath, shaking his friend's shoulder. Obi-Wan opened his eyes and gazed warily up at him. "Viceroy Gunray or not, we need to get off this level."

"Yes, I quite agree."

Yet as they made their way through the smoldering wreckage of the door, they came across something entirely… astonishing. A single droid was standing amidst the debris of both regular battle droids and the wrecked versions of the supers, shooting at its feet. Every time a bullet bounced off the metal, it would leap in the air, do a little turn and then land with a quiet, "oh".

"That's definitely a defective droid," Anakin said. "If it could have survived all of this…"

"Defective or not, I think it heard you."

The droid had just turned around to face them. On its belt hung two lightsabers, glimmering against the doom and the remnants of smoke. It turned to them and instead of continuing to shoot at its feet, it lifted its armament to them.

"This can't be good," Anakin muttered.

x-o-x

Good God… were they always such intuitive rejects? I was standing there, shooting off my own feet and they just stared at me like some defective droid. Technically, though…

"What is that?"

I heard the horrified whisper and smirked. I could play for awhile. They had, after all, gotten themselves into this mess. If they'd screwed up this badly, they could wait to get to the Victorious one, or whichever amphibious moron they needed to get.

"Must be a factory defect," Obi-Wan whispered in response, his lips barely moving. But my Slayer-enhanced hearing heard him, loudly and clearly. As I stepped for them, their lightsabers dangling from my belt, I turned and lifted my weapon.

"Move."

They both scampered forward, realizing it was all a ruse. Feeling quite elated that I had at least gotten something more than a random annoyance or a concerned look from them, I continued forcing the poor droid forward while Anakin and Obi-Wan held a frenzied, whispered conversation in front of me. More droids had arrived after my slaughter and I just sauntered past. "Jedi uprising," I said, nodding my head at the lead officer who came forward with his gun cocked. "Under control now."

But I had no sooner walked five steps that the two Jedi really did go through with the uprising. It lasted all of two seconds. Another fleet of droids arrived and surrounded them and, without their weapons, they were pretty much helpless. Which gave me the power to do something either really stupid that would risk all of our lives or something intelligent which would mean getting them the hell out of harm's way so they could do their job.

Huh. Look at me, all grown-up ghost-y with the decision making skills now. Sounds like a perfect résumé.

"_I'll _process them," I barked, going for choice two. Although I wanted to show off how flexible these tin cans really were, we still have a job to do. "You should get to the—"

No sooner had I spoken the words did the doors flash open and after what seemed like an eternity, Commander Cody's troops had arrived. In the vicious firefight, I caught Anakin and Obi-Wan attempting to sneak away. I couldn't give them that chance, not without flashing my encore. Lifting the gun, I blasted the door panel to the exit and watched with some satisfaction as the accompanying door slid down.

"No!" Anakin moaned, pounding his fists into the door.

Obi-Wan spun around to gaze at the fleet of gold and white now flashing amongst the blasts of red and blue. "This does not bode well, Anakin," he said in a gravely, tragic voice.

Did he always have to be such a drama queen? I mean… whoa.

"How are we supposed to get this door open?" Anakin asked, turning around and using the Force to lift the door. It took all of my concentration to keep the door down. "It won't budge!"

"You could say please."

Anakin froze, turning slowly to face Obi-Wan, who wore a look of utter confusion on his face. Slowly, they turned to face me. Standing there, with their lightsabers hanging from my belt, with my gun held forward, and with an evil glint in my eye, I watched as the two Jedi stared at me.

"If you're going to kill us, just get it over with," Obi-Wan said quietly.

"And why would I want to do that?" I asked innocently. Only, the voice talking out of my mouth sounded monotonic and mechanical. Stepping forward, I used what power I could from the Living Force and managed to open the door from the bottom up.

Stunned, Anakin and Obi-Wan turned to regard me just as I stepped through the door. I beckoned for them to follow with the gun and they didn't hesitate, especially when the destroyer droids came rolling through. I turned and smashed my fist into the control panel on the opposite door and it once again slid shut, sealing us off in a small enclave off of the main corridor.

"What the hell was that?" Anakin asked in a hushed voice.

"I think I know…" Obi-Wan whispered.

I turned to face them, returning into their hands each of their lightsabers. "If I had my body back, I'd be punning right about now."

x-o-x

_Mainly because I've reached a crossroads, I'll just say it'll be the 'great escape'. After reading and rereading other stories, however, I've been getting ideas for another crossover. I need to finish my current works before I start anything else though, and in the beginning I _did _invest a lot of time into this! Comments, flames and questions will I except. _


	10. I Am What I Am

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **I Am What I Am

**Summary: ** A desperate ploy to capture a villain forces Buffy to face her own choices.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **Hopefully this will get posted on a more regular schedule now… I have a direction to go in. I don't yet know how long this will be, but I do have somewhat of a plan. I still have the final chapter and am quite satisfied with it… so, onwards with the story. And yeah, it's a more serious chapter. Sort of. See for yourselves!

x-o-x

**I Am What I Am**

Of all the cruel jokes the fates could have played on him… why did it have to be this one? Why, when everything had gotten so dark, did karma decide to kick in now? He felt like he had been kicked hard, letting out a slow, deep breath as he faced the glittering droid in front of him. The droid had given him back his lightsaber, which was now clutched out of the droid's reach in his hand. While he had half a mind to kill the droid now, the other half of his mind longed to embrace it. And countless replicas of this single droid had tried to kill him.

So why did Buffy Summers of all people have to show up in what was reasonably one of their more embarrassing situations?

Not only that, but why did she have to appear as a _droid_?

"You're alive."

Obi-Wan was always so obvious, Anakin thought wryly as he gazed at his former Master, the deep thoughts melting away. The droid hadn't moved since she all but revealed herself. Obviously she was taking great pleasure in rescuing them from what he deemed a 'bad' situation.

"Technically, not," the droid replied in its mechanical tone. "I'm still dead girl, but I can do things like this now!" With that, she opened fire on the floor in front of them, causing both Jedi to exchange a worried look.

"What I think Master Obi-Wan meant to say is that… you're here, right now, in this very moment."

The droid lowered the weapon slightly and faced him. "Did you really think I'd abandon you to this?" The droid lifted its mechanized arm to the sounds of shouting and shooting going on behind the white door. "I think _not._"

"Are you always in the habit of rescuing people?" Anakin pressed.

"Normally, yes… but in this case, I thought I'd make an exception. You're still my prisoners, after all."

Had that droid just sounded completely… happy… about saying the word 'prisoners'?

"You forget," Obi-Wan said mildly, "that you armed us again."

"And don't _you _forget," the droid replied, lifting its chin slightly, "that I can possess either one of you at any given time. Just thought I'd get in a practice run with this tin can here." The droid appeared to shake, as though shuddering. "Although I hardly consider it practice – it didn't even put up a fight!"

"It's a droid. They're controlled by machines, not by brains."

The droid turned back to face Anakin. "Did you just insult me?"

"Careful, Anakin," Obi-Wan breathed. "Even as a droid, she's still extraordinarily—"

"If you say the word dangerous, I'll shoot you." The droid was talking in its standard monotone, but the intonation sounded almost wounded. "You put yourself into this mess. I'm just doing what I can to get you out of it."

"Why?"

"Because you have a job to do… or because I'm bored, pick one. And if I can do something like this…"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, turning to him. "She may be of use to us."

But Anakin didn't want her to be of use. He just wanted her to disappear. Since he found out she existed, she had been doing nothing but torturing the both of them. The thought of her dangling from the back of a cruiser was almost entertaining now, despite the fact he'd been in a life-and-death struggle. But he couldn't fault her, really. She was already dead.

"Do you have any use of the Force?" Anakin asked the droid politely.

"Yes. It is how I kept you from escaping in the first place."

He lost all pretenses there. "That was you?" he asked, recalling the feeling of something powerful lurking around them. For a split second, he had thought it was Dooku. But what if it really was this small, bony girl? Even Obi-Wan's eyes were filled with a slow awe as he realized the implication of what Buffy was saying.

"Yes." The droid sounded impatient now. "So instead of laughing off my threats, you could at least acknowledge that I do have some talent."

"We'd be dead right now if you hadn't acted," Obi-Wan murmured.

"Okay, so you have some use of the Force—"

"The _Living _Force, Anakin," the droid replied calmly.

"Right, that," Anakin nodded. "If you can possess the droid itself, can you travel through its communications network and possess the command console controlling the entire droid army in this city?"

There was a pause. And then the droid replied, "Are you crazy?"

"No, I'm just thinking logically."

"She has a point, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied under his breath.

"_She _is a _droid,_ Master."

"Nevertheless, she may be our way to escape."

"Or we could shut down the entirety of their defenses which would allow us to capture the Viceroy and escape before the Separatists know what hit them."

"Your plan does make sense."

"Of course it makes sense. I'm intelligent."

"No more dumb droid jokes, okay? I get enough of them as a blonde."

"He won't insult you anymore." Obi-Wan turned to look at Anakin. "Will you stop implying that she is of less intelligence than us? After all, we were captured and she was not."

"It's nearly impossible to capture a ghost," Anakin said dryly. And then his face grew more serious. "Can you do it?"

"We need to get out of here before the radiation becomes deadly for you."

"It may just rust your—"

"Hey! I said no more droid jokes! Now, hide those lightsabers, because we may not get another shot at this."

Turning to face the door, Obi-Wan used the Force to lift it, only to face two Clone troopers on the other side. They took one look inside the narrow enclave, spotted the droid and shot it down after two quick blasts.

x-o-x

"Oh, crap," I muttered as I felt the sharp metal tear through me as the droid fell away. I barely managed to stay upright but fell to the left through the cold metallic corridor, disappearing completely from sight. Through the fog of the metal separating me and them, I saw Obi-Wan and Anakin exchange a look and then glance down in unison to the smoldering wreckage of what had once been their droid friend.

"That takes care of that," Anakin murmured.

"We've come to rescue you," the muffled voice of a clone trooper said, gesturing the two Jedi out with his sidearm. "The Viceroy has been made aware of your escape. You should hasten if you wish to capture him before he flees from the city."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, snapping out of his reverie and urging Anakin forward with a nod. They both sauntered out and the broken door fell down with a crash on impact before caving in. I just watched it quietly, slightly miffed that those stupid clones were going to get the credit of rescuing those two helpless Jedi and, once again, I was getting nothing. Not even a lick of respect for the dead girl, no. I went through all the hassle to make sure those two Jedi were alive when I cornered them and they still managed to escape without a scratch. Heck, even a few little ones would have made them look more distinguished.

Nope, I was hanging out in a wall. Again.

"I'm supposed to be stuck with you," I grumbled as I scampered out of the wall, wincing at the droid body. "Where you go, I go. What's with the cryptic now?"

No one answered. They were probably too busy capturing the villain to pay much attention.

"And that's the thanks I get for rescuing you? See if I ever save you two again."

With a heavy sigh, I stormed through the door and found myself in a massacre. There were blackened spots and blast debris on the walls, the floor, the ceilings… part of the walls had collapsed out from the number of droids and clones. There were equal numbers of bodies scattered on the paneled flooring, including destructor droids and the super battle droids. The guys in the white, our so-called allies, were draped almost dramatically. Had it not been a clash of the mechanical and a case of tasteless fashion, it would have looked like a battlefield out of some history textbook.

Speaking of battlefields, my Slayer-enhanced hearing was still picking up the distant sounds of shooting. I had to move or else I would be forced to possess something with a little more firepower than that puny droid. Stupid clones… why did they have to kill my droid? Why?

Because anything I touch dies.

Now where did that thought come from? I tried to put my hands on my body, but felt my own ghostly hands go through my own ghostly body. I was still dead. Maybe Yoda hadn't exactly been all clear with me. But even as that thought faded, another thought came to me that I pitied a droid, something that didn't even have a brain. What the hell was wrong with me? Was I going to get sentimental over every death? Sure, death affected me heavily. I lost enough people in my life to know that death affected me more than it would affect normal people. But, for crying out loud, a _droid_?

I shook my head, moving onwards. There was a large thudding coming from right above my head. The least I could do was get out of here before the battle returned to this spot. That and I could figure out how to zap a droid command console with my special powers in order to retroactively save two Jedi from walking into another trap.

x-o-x

Anakin and Obi-Wan moved with the rest of the clones' detachment as they moved up one level and entered a grand corridor. Though it was empty, there were traces of battles with charred walls and dead droid parts scattered across the ornate, marble walkway. It was quite the depressing sight, but neither Jedi had much time to take in the sights. Their gaze was focused on the end of the corridor with large double doors leading to a small enclosed bridge that connected their building with the suspected building where the Viceroy and his staff were located.

Removing the lightsaber from his belt, Obi-Wan led the way to the doors, using the Force to open them. What he found on the other side was a trap awaiting them.

"Open fire!" the super battle droid obviously in charge commanded, lifting its arm and firing. The blast caught one of the clone troopers and Obi-Wan quickly fought his way through the regular battle droids to the super battle droid before he could fall for reinforcements. Anakin charged in, his blue saber pinging with pure energy as he took out the entire contingent hell bent on destroying them. It was only after the droids were all down did they notice a red light flashing on the wall; obviously the super battle droid had alerted all of the other droids within this complex that the Jedi were now between buildings.

"We must hurry," Obi-Wan said, signaling to Anakin to come forward. Leaping over the remains of the droids, the two Jedi made their way into the next building. The clones followed a few steps until more droids attacked from behind. The two Jedi were quite alone when they reached the opposite end. They quickly activated their weapons and fought off the last of the droids that had made it through the clones protecting them.

"For all we know, Master, there's an ambush waiting for us on the other side," Anakin murmured under his breath. "And we've seemed to run out of backup."

"Let me see what I can do," Obi-Wan said, moving over to a wall panel. A few moments later, his hand fell back. "It's no use… communications are restricted to higher-level droids; we cannot contact Cody for help."

"If only your ghostly shadow was here to insult us."

"I really wish you would stop insulting her," Obi-Wan replied testily, moving back to the doors and pressing his ear up against it. "You accomplish nothing by arguing with her."

"It is more or less pointless," Anakin agreed.

"It's more than just pointless," Obi-Wan said. "She has an established bond with the Living Force that could come in quite useful right now."

"Did you expect us to shoot the clones before they killed that droid?"

"The point is, we have no idea where she is. We have no idea what she may be up to. And we have no idea if she'll disappear again. If she does and we're trapped in a room with a well-planned trap awaiting us, we could be in trouble. It was her quick thinking that saved us last time."

"But, Master, we're armed now."

"It wouldn't take much effort to disarm us again. And if she is using the Force against our use of the Force, it could be problematic."

"You make it sound like you want to give her a chance," Anakin said, giving his former mentor a sidelong glance.

"I do," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I understand something about feeling out of place. It is how I felt about my first mission. As she is recently deceased and has no anchor to this world aside from, well, myself…"

"Do you think that if she were given the chance…"

"Being forced to do something against her will is no good to her, to us or to our Order," Obi-Wan replied. "She may feel a bit distraught at losing sight of us again. She knows we have a mission to do and yet she helps us without knowing what she's leaping into."

"Perhaps once all of this is over, we should sit down with her and tell her," Anakin suggested.

"A wise idea," Obi-Wan agreed. "But for now, we should get out of this corridor. I can feel the danger approaching."

With that, he tapped the control on the door and watched as they parted. Both Jedi slid through the entrance, the doors slipping shut behind them

x-o-x

Why was I such a dunce when it came to technology? I'm standing in the middle of a hallway in all my transparent glory staring at a computer monitor showing me a bunch of blinking lights, a bunch of controls written in some language I don't understand and trying to figure out what I'm doing there in the first place. The thought of jumping into a potentially dangerous monitor was, well, unintelligent. I had to do something though. And the blatant letters of 'intruder alert' followed by the blaring alarm flashing on the console. Obviously those Jedi had done something stupid. Well, I wasn't in the mood to pull off another excellent rescue.

But still, it wouldn't hurt my reputation to try something new and flashy.

Deciding against my instinct, I plunged my hand into the computer monitor. Feeling the bits and wires passing through my hand was empowering. But I knew that I was looking for something and when I found it, I knew I'd know when I got there.

I used my mind to guide my hand until I caught what I was looking for. There was a map on the monitor now and it showed a series of moving dots. The red represented the clones and the blue represented the droids. There were also green and yellow dots moving around. But the signature I was looking for was the main energy one in the center of the large complex. I find it with a blinking white light in the center of a large octagonal structure poised above the main structure.

There was one thing I could do in the meantime, though. I used the Force once again to find my way through to the communications outlet and then sent a surge through the wires. A moment later, the loud, intruder alarm flickered and died off. Two dots that had been approaching one of the central buildings suddenly flickered. I smiled… it's exactly where I would be if I was a Jedi.

Luckily for them, though… I'm a Slayer.

x-o-x

"I don't understand."

Obi-Wan and Anakin were standing in a narrow corridor within another building. It was completely empty. There was no scarring on the walls. There were no bullet holes in the floor. The walls and floors were unscathed.

"I thought for sure this would be a trap," Anakin said, glancing around and deactivating his lightsaber.

"The alarm has stopped," Obi-Wan said, gazing at another monitor just inside the doorway. "If they were on to us, this is a new tactic."

"It's one that doesn't make sense," Anakin agreed, staring over his former Master's shoulder. "Can you get a location on the Viceroy?"

"I'm trying."

Anakin turned and kept his gaze to the open doorway, his lightsaber held at the ready. He felt the Force flowing through him. He was aware of the danger surrounding them, but knew that it wasn't so close. He would know if it was. He also felt their support growing around them; Commander Cody must finally be landing his ground troops. But he sensed something else moving about. It was powerful and nearly tangible. And yet it was comforting him, as though it were standing next to him. As if she were there standing next to him.

"I can feel her, Master."

"I can sense her, too," Obi-Wan replied, glancing back at him. "We should go this way."

The two walked towards a doorway at the end of the hall, while Obi-Wan kept describing where they needed to go to find the Viceroy.

x-o-x

"This was a really bad idea," I muttered as the top of my head bumped yet another sharp metal grate. Though I had freedom to walk through things, it felt somewhat real to be crawling my way through these old conduits. Heating ducts. Whatever they were. What did these stupid amphibians need heat for anyway? Didn't toads like the cold?

I finally found the end of the conduit and pushed my way out. I was now standing right below the control room one level above me. All I really had to do was go through the wiring and…

I suddenly gasped as one of the hideous toad things walked through me. And yet I found my grasp searching and finally nailing it. Unlike the droid which had no mind, this one was somewhat of a challenge. I felt the being resist my advances, but I wanted it just that bad enough. I sacrificed enough for this stupid mission – it might as well include my sanity. Using my grasp of the Force, I felt my mind break through its pitiful defenses and soon I saw my gloved hand lifting up and waving in front of my face.

"This is… intriguing."

I winced at the sound of my voice. It was so masculine it was pathetic. Deciding I would not speak again unless spoken to, I searched the small amount of knowledge stored in its memory banks. I then found what I was looking for.

Ten minutes later, I was dismissing a group of super battle droids with the flick of my hand as I breezed into an armory room. Peering inside, I pulled out what looked like a stick. Pressing the buttons in, both ends activated with some type of raw blue energy. _Cool,_ I thought to myself with a little smile. I decided to keep it with me, attaching it to my belt. I then acquired a gun like the one I'd had before and, before I closed the safe door, I saw a group of small oval shaped bits with pins sticking out of them. Grenades… they actually had grenades.

On the shelf below, I spotted something else. Some sort of clay-like substance with a detonator attached to a wire coming from the substance. I took two of each item and then closed the door. Once I was armed, I stepped out. Two droids were waiting at the door. I just passed through them when…

"Where have you been? The launch is ready. We will leave as soon as the Viceroy is aboard."

I just nodded and watched as the other toad-like creature moved out the door. Once the creature was gone, I closed the hatch. I was now alone in the control center. Well, me and a few super battle droids. And one single figure sitting in a chair watching the two Jedi on the monitor.

"We are tracking the Jedi's every move. Once they reach the chamber, they will learn the true meaning of pain and torture."

"Very well," I said, once again wincing at the sound of my voice. Moving behind the chair, I took one directly next to the control console. Pressing a block of the clay underneath the panel, I removed the detonator and slipped the wire chip inside the tiny crevice on top. I then returned the detonator to my belt. As I did, I saw a power relay. If I could shut down the power, it could potentially delay a response from the droids tracking the Jedi and ultimately buy them the time they needed to get the Viceroy. I tapped the control with one finger and saw that the power relay station was one level down in the room I had just been to. Setting the detonator on twenty minutes, I decided to move quickly.

But before I could leave the room, a holographic image of a man appeared. He was old and dashing in appearance, but his eyes were manic and his smile was just too… evil. I hovered near the doorway as the man spoke. Though the toad couldn't hear, my enhanced Slayer hearing could.

"The plan will go ahead now that the two Jedi are in your chambers."

"They will not leave here alive," the toad said.

"Very well. We will proceed with the attack on Coruscant."

Instantly, I felt as though I had turned to ice. I backed out of the room, fully intent on dropping the power. I had to find the Jedi. They needed to know what was going on while their minds were occupied with capturing the Viceroy. That evil man was planning on attacking Coruscant, the one decent world I had seen.

I couldn't let it happen.

But now I was in a crunch. Obi-Wan and Anakin had to know about the evil guy's plans. They'd probably know who it was if I described him well enough. But they also had a huge trap awaiting them, one that I could take out if I had the chance.

Well, I wasn't going to do anything until I got my butt moving a little faster and, for once, I really missed my thighs. These so-called thighs felt like I was wobbling underwater with iron anvils strapped to my hips. "Next time, I'm getting another droid," I muttered under my breath.

x-o-x

Now running at a brisk pace through a wide corridor with sweeping arches and a marble floor, both Jedi noted that the chamber corridors were clear of any debris. There was nothing there. No droids were guarding the Viceroy's chambers just up the steps and a few paces beyond that. The white doors were already gleaming.

"Does something feel out of place to you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It's felt out of place ever since we left that enclave," Anakin replied as they paused at the last stretch of hallway. There were no droids or Nemoidians on either side. It was deserted. It was all deserted.

Something was terribly wrong here…

x-o-x

"Commander Cody… Commander Cody, do you read? Commander Cody…"

The stupid Nemoidian was lying unconscious on the ground behind me. Aside from learning I could possess people, I knew also I could cause actual physical harm. The sensation had terrified the hell out of me, but it was necessary. I couldn't very well face Commander Cody looking like a toad now, could I?

After a moment, I heard the unmistakable sound of static and something crackling. "This is Cody."

Thank goodness…

"Cody, I have a fix on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. They need backup and they need it now," I continued, using the feed from the command console in the room to transfer the information to the Clone Commander. Before I severed the connection, I added, "Cody, I have set explosives around the main relay in the central command complex. It is set to explode in fifteen minutes. They need to get the Viceroy and get out."

"Understood."

The link severed after that. I let my hands fall off the console as I walked over the moaning figure on the ground. I glanced at the explosives I'd rigged around something shaped like a satellite dish. They were all set to explode in sixteen minutes and seven seconds.

Which means I had to somehow get to where Obi-Wan and Anakin were or, better yet, get to where their ships were docked. I was still scared about what my two Jedi were about to face, but at least they had help coming… hopefully. Or else neither one of them was going to leave that chamber alive.

Now I had fifteen minutes and thirty seconds left.

It was time to pull off my brilliant plan. I had my brains, my wits and something of my old confidence back. Or maybe I felt the need to best those stupid Clones who kept outshining my ghostly self. Besides, I'm a Slayer. It's what I am. It doesn't know how to give up.

Nor do I...

And I know I couldn't fail them now.

x-o-x

_to__be continued_

x-o-x

_I have to say… I'm shocked at the response from the previous chapter… no, seriously, I am. I know this crossover is what some might call "unique" or just plain weird, but I am so, so eternally grateful that you've given it a chance. For a story that really had no purpose or plot, I find myself oddly attracted to it again._


	11. Fifteen Minutes

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Fifteen Minutes

**Summary: ** All she had was fifteen minutes to save them… and that was the high point of her day.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **Well… there's really no excuse for the reason why it took me a month to update. I had training. I've have a lot of personal issues. One of my dearest friends got married last weekend. I guess those things count as excuses for not devoting time to the one thing in my life that hasn't lost its mind. My work load at work quintupled too… apparently people love to tick off their favorite law enforcement agencies around the time the little schools let out! It may be a few weeks before it gets updated again, but I am trying.

_Thank you to all who have been reviewing! I really do appreciate each and every one! I'm so glad you actually like this story and perhaps it is this reason more than any that I was willing to continue it. You inspire me. _

x-o-x

**Fifteen Minutes**

The door in front of them was still closed. Both Jedi crept up to it, weapons in hand. Obi-Wan glanced at the door, using the Force to sense whatever power was behind it. He didn't feel anything and that unsettled him more. Anakin walked next to him, breathing deeply with his gaze concentrated on the door. Occasionally he would swing his head left and right to catch a peripheral view of unsettling silence. Everything seemed too still.

There was still her reassuring presence with them, though. Both Jedi could sense her nearby, but they were uncertain where she was.

"At least she's safe. What they can't see, they won't know about."

Obi-Wan scoffed under his breath. "She could easily be the one firing at us."

"With respect, Master, but shouldn't she be on our side?"

"Do you really expect _her _to keep saving our collective hinds?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin in disbelief. "Don't you think she'll eventually tire of finding a way to rescue us from the evil enemy she knows nothing about?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"I am putting it that way," Obi-Wan replied, tapping the controls to the door. Both watched as it slid open, revealing nothing but empty space within. "We are the two Jedi here, one of the greatest teams in Order history. How is it that we're counting on someone who isn't even in our Order to show up at the exact moment that we'd need her?"

Hearing the click of weapons readying to fire behind them, both Jedi turned to see an armada of super battle droids gathered behind him.

"Like… now?" Anakin muttered under his breath.

"I truly did not mean for that to happen," Obi-Wan said defensively.

x-o-x

I was still standing at the computer monitor, staring at the read-out from one of the buildings at the complex. They were in the Viceroy's chambers surrounded by an entire armada of the best clones. I was only a little ways away near the end corridor of yet another endless narrow passageway. Seriously, though… I was getting lost. This wasn't my territory and I didn't have the slightest clue where I was. I wish I had some of my intuition to guide me, but that seemed pointless. Stupid Jedi.

"They apparently fell into the trap," I murmured as I searched through the many controls for some hint. My fifteen minutes were going to run down soon and this entire complex was about to be blown up. I had already let Cody know that the Jedi were in trouble. My sights were now set on this Viceroy and how to let the Jedi get him safely. I wouldn't want to have Yoda questioning why the blood of two Jedi was spilled needlessly when I could have done something to help. He was in the complex with the Jedi, meaning that I would have to actually go into that building.

There was nothing for it – all I had to do was walk.

Or float… it seemed faster.

I made my way into the Viceroy's private complex and found myself in a sea of bad puns. Two Jedi were obviously hiding behind a doorway as several dozen droids stood in the grand entranceway. Spying a single droid standing on the outskirts, I swept forward and overtook its control. As my new solid fingers clenched and unclenched, I found my weapon. I searched its databanks to find where its orders were coming from. I found a single droid command facility upstairs. I would need to take it out before the Jedi could escape. There were also internal weapons, like guns and stuff. Sure, they had fancy names. I just didn't have the patience to remember them. They weren't necessary in my plan, anyway.

But, it could always be used as a last resort.

I released my hold on the droid and the stupid thing just fell over, completely falling apart. Its joints and limbs just collapsed. Three minutes down and there was still a long, long way to go. But things had just jumped to the enormous scale. I fled through the ceiling. Though they couldn't see me and probably couldn't touch me, the last thing I needed to do was cause problems that could accidentally get both Jedi killed.

That would be such a tragedy.

x-o-x

"Master?"

"No, Anakin… we are not going out there to face sixty of those things. Even with our skills, the odds against us are—"

"Beyond large?" Anakin asked sarcastically.

"We could very well face our deaths if we go out there to fight," Obi-Wan replied.

"What would you have us do? Would you have us sit here and face the most humiliating mission yet?"

"I honestly don't know what we can do. These chambers are well guarded. Even if they disappear, they have ways of seeing if we come out."

"There must be something we can do," Anakin muttered, turning around and walking away from the door. Yet the small circular room was enclosed, precisely the reason why the droids would have chosen this spot. They must have known the Jedi would attempt to seize the Viceroy from the one room they couldn't escape from.

"As you asked one minute ago, Anakin, there is _nothing _we can do. We must remain here until they leave."

"I don't think I can do that, Master."

"Then feel free to walk out there to your infinite doom, Anakin. I won't hold you back. If you think you can take sixty super battle droids and fifteen destroyers, be my guest."

"Wait… there are destroyers now?" Anakin asked, rushing back over to the door. Or rather, the thin crack of light that separated the door from the wall. They had automatically shut the door when they had walked in, but they could still see the large number of droids lying in wait. Suddenly, though, his eyes spotted the dead droid surrounded by shrapnel. "Uh, Master?"

"Yes?"

"Did you happen to see the dead droid?"

"I did."

Anakin pulled away from the door, giving his too-calm Master a dark look. "Do you think—"

"I honestly do not know, Anakin. If she were here, it is likely we would be free."

Anakin took a deep breath. Despite how grim their situation looked at the moment, he still felt the reassuring presence of the Living Force. It soothed his tense mind and allowed him to think clearly without worrying too much that he would die the second he stepped outside the door. Obi-Wan's face wore its normal grumpy expression.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering where our backup is."

"Besides dead?" Anakin asked in disbelief. The clones that had been following them were dead. In a way, their one link to the Living Force was there as well, but she was undoubtedly transparent and deceased as well.

"You know what I mean," Obi-Wan insisted, turning to look haughtily at his former apprentice. "Euphemisms aside, Commander Cody did have a large number of clone troops with him. I am curious as to their location. I would have thought that they—"

Before he could finish his words, however, the lights over their heads dimmed, flickered twice and then went out completely.

"I hope you realize this is your fault," Anakin grumbled as Obi-Wan's jaw dropped in consternation.

x-o-x

"Let's see what's behind door number one."

I reached inside the cold metal and felt the large jumble of wires and conduits behind it.

"Yeah, that's not it."

I tried the second panel and found an even bigger jumble.

"Damn it."

I had to find the place where the stupid droids were controlled from. It couldn't be anything more than a simple light switch, considering that these droids were just that stupid. But then I realize that I'm still not technology girl and that stuffing my head with the ability to possess things will never change that. I just wish I could pull a Carrie and suddenly the inspiration would come to me. I'm running out of time and the prospect of blowing up in like nine minutes was not even an option.

I just had to take drastic measures. I had to. The choice wasn't there anymore. There was only so much time to waste before those stupid droids blew up the Viceroy's office.

And then it came back to me. "_Where have you been? The launch is ready. We will leave as soon as the Viceroy is aboard."_

Oh, crap.

How could have I forgotten what the stupid toad-person told me?

Okay… maybe it helped my hand was stuck in the 'flight control' super panel. "Hmm," I mused, quietly pushing my hand through the various wires and chips and technical gadgets. "Let me see… can I make a transport blow up from here?"

Not likely.

"Can I blow up the fuel transport hub before the Viceroy's launch leaves?"

That was a little more possible.

"Where is one of those toad people when you need one?"

I needed their brains, because the technology wasn't really agreeing with me. Merging with a droid would accomplish little except getting shot. I was running out time. They needed me and for once, I couldn't be there for them. I couldn't save them the way I wanted to.

I took a deep breath, despite the fact I don't breathe.

How could I possibly not do this? Failure is not in my character… I don't even know what the word means. I have to find a way. And basically, I just had to do it and take care of whatever consequences there were of my actions later.

"Once more unto the breach," I grumbled, plunging my hands back into the second panel. I felt around, the shocks zipping my poor numb fingers until I reached something that felt familiar. I tapped into it and glanced at the main terminal.

Now I was getting somewhere. Droid control command center. Talk about your basic alliteration.

"Showtime," I whispered, smiling slightly. Now to make the computer do what I wanted…

x-o-x

Clunk, clunk, clunk…

_Clunk. _

"Anakin!"

"I'm sorry!" the former apprentice said, wheeling around to face his former Master. "I'm looking for a hollow section of metal."

"You plan to cut our way out to a drop several thousand feet down?"

"I didn't realize that this was a section hovering in mid-air."

"It is," Obi-Wan confirmed. "At least, it was for those of us who actually looked at the intelligence information when we met with Commander Cody."

"Are you actually lecturing me about not paying attention _again_?"

"Well, yes."

"Well, stop it," Anakin murmured, turning to tap on the metallic walls again. "This is not the time for it."

"It is also not a time for—" His voice was cut off as both Jedi suddenly turned to stare at the doorway. There was a great commotion coming from the outside which sounded like things exploding. "Get away from the door. I'm going to open it."

Anakin hurriedly moved away as Obi-Wan tapped on the controls. And tapped again. It took them only a few seconds to realize that power to this section had been cut off. With a hint of flourish, Anakin activated his lightsaber and moved to plunge it through the metallic door.

A moment later, two Jedi stared through the molten, gaping hole to a massacre.

"Oh, my," Obi-Wan murmured as both Jedi stepped through. All of the droids had collapsed and had literally fallen apart. Stepping through limb after limb was somewhat surreal, but both Jedi soon found themselves embracing their freedom.

Anakin's eyes widened at the sight of several very large launchers that fired out firing solutions of something that would have pretty much killed them instantly. "That was timely, if not cliché."

"This entire day has been one," Obi-Wan remarked, rolling his eyes as he stepped forward. "We should get moving."

"What are you sensing?" Anakin asked, feeling the strangest sensation.

"I just have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan replied. Anakin shrugged and they both moved on.

x-o-x

Okay, so one task down. The Jedi were able to move freely. I just had to warn them about one, the Viceroy as he was probably holding onto the Jedi until his ship left before ordering their gruesome, painful deaths… and secondly, to warn them about Count Dracula, or whatever his name was, that was threatening to attack Coruscant.

But, I also had one last little trick up my sleeve. After effectively shutting down the power in this section, I had also sealed the doors using some sort of weird encryption code (or rather, I used my name but chances were they'd never figure it out anyway) and had done some more tinkering, finally turning on the lights and sealing off unnecessary sections. I also found that the clone troopers were holding back the main droid forces in the main hangar bay as well as the central buildings of the complex.

I quickly contacted Cody again, letting him know we only had eight minutes before it blew up. That wasn't a lot of time to plan this out. But when half of my time was dedicated to getting the Jedi out of Jail free and with their lives and stuff, I figured I got the better end of the bargain.

I caught up with the Jedi as they sped out of the Viceroy's private building.

"Took you long enough," was the first thing Anakin said as he saw my ghostly form come out of the wall behind them.

"Did you expect me to pull a miracle out of my ass?" I asked sweetly. Seeing Obi-Wan pounding on a console to open one of my carefully-sealed doorways, I added, "Don't bother with those. They aren't going to help you."

"But we must get off this level and we _must _find the Viceroy."

"He's in his private hangar in the launch that was going to take off the second you were eviscerated."

"Oh," Obi-Wan said, pulling his hand away from the door panel.

"Yeah. So we've got some running to do. Rather, you've got about seven minutes to run and I'll try and stall. I take it my plan of breaking out the internal guns and blowing the heck out of his ship is a no-go."

Anakin exchanged a horrified look with Obi-Wan.

"Relax, I was only kidding." That was a half-truth, I decided. "Look… the hangar bay is in that building over there." I pointed down the long corridor with the bright yellow lights along the floorboards. "Just follow the yellow brick road and you'll get there."

"The yellow brick road?" Obi-Wan asked faintly, as though struggling to understand why I was so cheerful.

"You're wasting time we do not have, Master Nagobi," I snapped. Anakin let out a scoff and I snapped by gaze back to his face. The laughter died like a gargle in his throat. "Look, I set off a bunch of pretty little explosive thingies around the main reactor. They were set for twenty minutes. We have seven minutes and thirty seven seconds to kidnap the Viceroy, get back to our ships and get the hell off this world."

"What?" Anakin asked, a stunned look falling over his face.

"You two," I continued, making shooing motions with my floating arms, "go, now! You're wasting time! I'll see if I can stall him or trap him or something!"

With that, I ran through the wall again.

I would have given anything, _anything _to see the looks on their faces after I left. I bet it was priceless.

"What was that?" Anakin asked in a hushed voice.

"The miracle we've been looking for," Obi-Wan replied, hurrying forward and following the yellow lights on the floorboards and deck plates. "Come on. She said we had only seven minutes left until this entire complex is destroyed."

"Don't you think her actions were a bit rash?" Anakin asked as he hurried after his Master. They breezed easily through the narrow corridors and into the open passageway. It was on the other side of the fuel pod station that the hangar was.

"They may be rash, Anakin… but we didn't exactly have a choice. This mission in itself has been an utter failure."

"I'm so glad we agree about that one," Anakin muttered.

x-o-x

I had to stall them?

_I had to stall them?_

Who was I trying to kid? I had no body. And the moment one of those morons did anything to blast the doors open, who was I to stop them?

But there was something I could do.

I made my way to another terminal and used internal cameras to see inside the hangar. One large ship sat inside, with hundreds of droids milling around it. Apparently the Viceroy was taking no chances.

Neither was I.

I'm ready for this.

I just had to move quickly. The upper part of the droids command console is in the launch bay's port command center. Yes, I am aware of how geeky it sounds now as I think about it.

However, inside the ship was a whole other story.

"The Jedi have escaped."

"How is that possible?" Viceroy Gunray asked, glaring at his two subordinates who had waddled this far just to tell them that their spectacular plan to wipe Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker off of the face of the planet had completely faltered.

"They must have had outside help," one of the two replied meekly. "Power was shut off in that section and the droids suffered a total power failure."

"A total power failure?" one of the droid controllers asked. "Only a Jedi—"

"But we had then trapped," the Viceroy replied, turning away to glance out his own view port. "There must have been another."

"Only two ships landed on the planet."

"It just doesn't make sense…" the Viceroy continued, twisting his hands.

"We must leave at once if the Jedi are free. They will not stop until you are dead."

"Start the engines and prepare to leave at once." The second subordinate turned to the Viceroy. "You must remain out of sight or you will surely be captured by the Jedi."

The Viceroy nodded, still concerned as to how two Jedi could have escaped their Sith-provided plans so cleanly.

I had just entered the hangar bay when the sound of engines starting hit me with a full force. I swallowed down the nasty exhaust fumes and ducked underneath the ship. The droids were hurriedly rushing towards the one corridor I had opened up.

"No, no, _no,_" I muttered, running towards the command center on the second level of the bay. We were down to five minutes and we needed every second. I needed to power down the droid units on this level or those two Jedi wouldn't stand a fighting chance.

But then, everything came to a crashing halt as two internal guns came down and blasted at the hangar doors.

"Crap," I hissed, running through the wall behind me. The firing solution had seeped through the hardcore metal and soon the ship had lifted slightly off of the ground. I could only watch, powerless, as the ship crashed the rest of the way through of the hangar bay.

Well… so much for my plans. If I had been corporeal, I might have been able to do something to get there in time; I could have done something to stop them. But no… the most frustrating thing about being a ghost is standing by powerless as the one last shot of glory crashed through the smoldering remains of two hangar doors.

But then, as I reminded myself, we had less than five minutes to get back to our own hangar bay and get the hell off of this world before this stupid complex blew up.

x-o-x

"I thought she took care of all the droids," Anakin spat through gritted teeth as he deflected major bolts from the set of droidikas. Obi-Wan stood with his back to him, fighting off another small army of super battle droids.

One of the destroyers suddenly paused, cocking both of its weapons.

"I don't understand," Obi-Wan replied, using the Force to expel a large number of battle droids to the opposing wall.

Both Jedi soon found their thoughts drowned out by the sound of a ship in the nearby hangar bay taking off. They both exchanged a dark look before turning to take on the other droids.

Except for the fact that one of the destroyers seemed to have lost its mind and was quickly mowing down the others in rapid succession.

"Buffy?" Obi-Wan asked softly.

The droidika crumpled as my essence removed itself from the mechanical unit.

"Nice," Anakin surmised, glancing at the wreckage scattered around them.

"Compliment later, run for your lives now," I ordered and then turned, running straight out the wall.

"I think she means we need to get back to our ships," Obi-Wan said in a small voice.

"When we get out of this one, you're going to have to talk to her about delegating orders," Anakin grumbled as he took off after his Master.

I met them in the hangar bay, surrounded by dozens of clone troopers which had just freed the bay and saved the ships. Both Jedi were panting as they stared at their ships, which had been powered up. The clones were moving rapidly towards two transport ships and more were seen through the giant space-safe windows speeding away from the planet.

"How much time do we have?" Anakin gasped as he ran past me.

"Less then three minutes," I replied sharply, turning to follow Obi-Wan back to his shuttle. "Now go!"

Both Jedi hurriedly got into their star fighters.

"One question – what about the space doors—"

But his words were cut off as both hangar doors opened, emitting the wide expanse of space beyond.

"Had it covered," I assured him.

He made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan and powered up the ship. Anakin's small craft was already zipping through the opened doors. A moment later, Obi-Wan's ship also exited.

It took all of my brain power just to hold myself to this position as Cato Neimoidia seemed to shrink the farther away we got. Not a moment too soon, I thought… another few hours in those dreadful corridors and I would have pleaded for death all over again.

Another moment passed before a giant orange fireball billowed into the sky. Thick clouds of toxic smoke swirled as clone ships managed to break free to the debris hurtled thousands of feet into the air. The orange glow was emanated on Obi-Wan's face, making him look almost sinister. But a moment later he passed, turning the ship to see what I had done.

"You don't ever go for anything small, do you?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head, knowing full well he couldn't see.

"What happened to the Viceroy?"

"He left," I said simply. That was all there was to it. I just settled my mind on concentrating enough to keep my molecules where they were, thank you very much. But I couldn't help but feel a small hint of pride in looking at the blaze on the planet's surface far below and knowing that with the help of those whose bodies I had possessed this had been done. Still… how many Nemoidians had died? They couldn't all be evil, right?

I really had to learn the truth about this entire war thingy sooner or later.

Obi-Wan seemed to be reading my thoughts as well. "We need to talk."

"My four favorite words," I grumbled, "right behind evisceration and beheading."

Obi-Wan turned his head slightly, frowning. A moment later, Anakin's voice crackled through on the radio. "That was a pretty fire show," he said appreciatively. Well, I thought it was a compliment. Obi-Wan's frown grew deeper. "I'll meet you back on Cody's ship."

"You will," Obi-Wan replied.

And then it struck me… Count Dracula doing the whole threatening Coruscant thing.

"Obi-Wan, I think there's something you should know."

"Yes?"

He sounded distracted. I decided to go for broke. "I want to have your baby."

This caught his attention. His eyes were piercing as he turned in his seat, craning to see me wedged in the cockpit behind him. "Hmm…"

"Relax. I just wanted to get your attention," I assured him. "But there is something to say. Um… do you happen to know a big tall guy with white hair and a dark cape who sort of reminds me of Dracula?"

Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders until his entire body froze. "Was it Dooku?"

"Okay," I said, realizing how close Dracula and Dooku were to one another's names, "that's almost creepy."

"What do you know?" he asked in that patient tone of his.

"I was in the command center and I overheard something… something about an attack on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan nodded as he returned his attention to his controls. "You might as well wait to explain everything… we'll be on board Cody's ship shortly."

I sighed, falling back into my own thoughts. In just a short period of time, I would tell them just how doomed they really were.

x-o-x

_Next part… plans are underway for the attack on Coruscant and Buffy learns Jedi 101 and gets a rather cold outlook on her new life._


	12. Let's Talk About

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Let's Talk About…

**Summary: ** Buffy and Obi-Wan have the talk about where Jedi babies come from. Yeah, we know they don't exist.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **This is the boring chapter with a lot of back history and conversation. Truthfully, it's not completely worthless. And for those of you looking for more substance, there's a hint at the end of the chapter. There is also a huge hint as to what the SECOND half of the story is going to be like. Yes, the story is about or just over half done.

Oh, and I'm closing in on 'one million words'. Gosh. It seems like it all passed so quickly...

x-o-x

**Let's Talk About…**

"Are you all right?"

I had been standing at the far corner of the large ship, staring into the vastness of space. Even though things were so different, I couldn't help but feel small in the powerless sense. I'm not completely clueless, but there are some things I need to know and they just aren't giving me the answers. And yet whenever I saw the wide expanse of stars that remained nameless on the Earth I came from, the only thing I could think about was how small I truly felt when I stared out at the stars.

"Buffy?"

I turned my attention back to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had finished briefing the clone troopers on the situation from Cato Neimoidia. I really didn't know how to answer him. How could he expect me to know? Was I all right? Would I ever be 'all right'? What the hell was all right, anyway?

"I don't know."

He frowned slightly, coming to stand beside me. "You are still standing."

"Didn't have a choice there," I said; my tone a lot dryer than I wanted it to be. His frown deepened and I found myself staring at the wide expanse, feeling even smaller than I had a moment ago.

"We do have to talk, but it doesn't have to be at this moment."

I considered his words silently for a moment before shrugging. "We still have some time, right?"

"Most of the clone fleet has engaged the droid fleet in battle near the edge of the sector," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "There may come a point when this ship is called into battle."

"Right," I muttered.

"First of all, that statement about a baby—"

Well, I guess we were going to go through this thing after all. Rolling my eyes, I turned to face the Jedi Master. "Well, obviously I don't want a baby. Not now or well, pretty much ever. I just had to say something to distract you from cranky robot mode. You know… the part where you ignore me when I'm trying to tell you something important?"

"It was about Dooku, right?"

"Yes, it was about Count Dooku," I said. "One of the transmissions I saw was him talking to the Neimoidian guard about killing you and Anakin and then attacking Coruscant."

"This is something we must look into further," he said, nodding. And then he noticed the look on my face. "Was there something else?"

"Yeah… it had to do with the fact he wants you dead. Is there any particular reason why?"

"Aside from the fact that he is a villain, you mean?"

"Well, with that personality," I replied tartly, "you don't have to be a villain to want to strangle that neck of yours."

"Humor not withstanding…"

I closed my eyes, really wishing I could huff out a sigh, but I was still incapable of showing even the slightly bit of physical emotion. "So Dooku's a bad guy who wants you two dead…"

Obi-Wan looked down and drew a deep breath. "He took Anakin's arm."

"The mechanical one?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Not the mechanical arm, but the real arm," Obi-Wan said softly. "It was in the beginning of the war."

"War? There's a war now?"

"Please, I am trying to explain this to you."

"You're doing a smashing job… really. And I'm starting to think that maybe I could be a villain just to get that silly smile off of your face…"

"This is not the time for your jokes. I am trying to be serious."

I glanced up and fixed him with my coldest, transparent glare. "So was I. But go ahead, mock me some more. Make some more ghostly Buffy jokes because she can't touch or taste or hell, even change clothes! You think that I'd be able to bob my head and get a new wardrobe, preferably something in style, but noooo. Tell me something I don't already know, will you?"

"You have to know the truth."

"I know the truth," I spat back. "I'm dead, you're alive, end of story."

Obi-Wan shook his head, the old impatient gleam flashing in his eye. "This is not the end of the story."

"What is the end of the story? We live happily ever after?"

"Why don't you tell me? You are the one who is deceased."

"Was deceased… _was_. Do I look dead anymore?" When I saw the incredulous look on his face, I shook my head helplessly. "Don't answer that."

Obi-Wan bowed his head as he walked about the station and sat at the console to my left. "There are things you have to know about this war, Buffy. You need to understand something before you just leap in and take an act of faith."

"I was following your lead."

"Hundreds of Jedi have already died… it is likely many more will die before the end of this war. Those you know as belonging to the Living Force have given up their lives. There is a possibility that this war will never end."

I couldn't look at him. "All wars have to end. Someone has to lose."

"Would you rather it be us?"

"Is it the Jedi versus the rest of the universe? Those are some pretty bad odds."

"Our government is falling apart. The one man who has the power to do something has been given more power and that is beyond dangerous. We're trying to preserve the old way of life, here."

"How's that turning out for you?" I shot back. "You told me yourself that many Jedi are dead. Are there enough of you to do whatever you need to do?"

"No."

I turned back to stare out into space. Every time I did, I felt a little bit smaller. "Huh."

I felt him moving behind me. As much as I did not want to respond to his movements, a part of me was still frazzled from the events on Cato Neimoidia. "Maybe the old ways are dead."

"Now you're thinking like a Separatist."

"Am I?"

"You don't understand, do you?"

"In my world, my country fought wars for independence because they didn't want to be stuck with a crappy government ruled by piss ants with too much power and not enough brains," I replied, staring hard out the view port. "So when you tell me I don't understand, I do. Just like every other nation, we fight because we can."

Obi-Wan gave me an appraising look. "You know, you are far more intelligent than you give yourself credit for."

"You know… I think that's one of the nicest things you've said to me."

There was a beat before he finally spoke up again. "You do understand that Jedi kids don't exist, right?"

"Well, obviously if there are kiddie Jedi, there are mommy Jedi and daddy Jedi unless you're stupid enough to believe the story about the stork."

"Jedi are forbidden such attachments as love and marriage and, in turn, children."

It took me a moment to digest this. Finally, I uttered a soft, "Oh".

"I didn't mean to bring this upon you," Obi-Wan said, seeing the look on my face. "I'm just realizing that this isn't exactly what you wanted to hear…"

"I never thought that because you could hold a lightsaber it made you a eunuch."

"Not, it doesn't make us eunuchs, but it makes us special."

"Like white body wrap special?"

"No, but it makes us unique. As I realize now that this is just the beginning, I know we have a lot more to discuss…"

x-o-x

Anakin tucked himself inside one of the tiny rooms inside Cody's ship, _Vigilance_. His hand gently pried off the black glove and flexed his golden fingers, sighing under his breath as he lifted his arm. His fingers on the opposite hand worked quickly to bypass the wires severed in his hand during the last skirmish. After he was done, he pulled his glove back on, turning only to find a figure standing in the doorway watching him.

"Is that it? Is that what Dooku did to you?"

"Yes," Anakin replied, looking down as he fixed the glove over the wires.

"Does it hurt?"

"It didn't hurt when I lost it. It just felt… numb."

"I'm so sorry."

Anakin glanced up at the woman still staring at him. "You have no reason to be sorry."

"Something was taken from you that shouldn't have been. It must have made you angry."

"It did."

"Isn't that against the Jedi code?"

Anakin smirked to himself as he stood up. "Obviously you have been speaking with Obi-Wan."

"He told me the deal. How anger and hate lead to the dark side. And when I kept asking him about the dark side, he just got really quiet and said he didn't want to talk about it."

"Is that why you came to me?"

"I had a different reason for that."

"Buffy…"

"Don't," I said, walking into the room. He just watched me as I floated inside. "I need to know the truth."

"If you talked with Obi-Wan—"

"He didn't tell me everything."

Anakin set his jaw and looked aside. "He never told me anything either."

"I'm not looking to put you on the spot, but I need to get some things very clear here."

"What can I answer for you?" he asked me, sitting back on the chair and settling his hands in his lap.

"We're losing the war, aren't we?"

Anakin winced and I had a slight suspicion as to why. He was a proud Jedi. They were too damned proud for their own good. But I wasn't normally one who could pick a losing battle and come out ahead. I was one that fought the losing battle believing I was getting ahead but knowing that no matter what I did and no matter how much changed, it was still the same – we would still lose. Each apocalyptic battle got worse. Every vampire grew stronger. I couldn't remember the last vampire that hadn't heard of the Slayer.

In this world, however, all bets were off. The Jedi were proud warriors… but they died too easily. They weren't immortal; they were only gifted with some power of the mind that allowed them to take notice of their strength and use it to their advantage and eventual doom. When I looked at it like that, I could tell we weren't all that different. The thing of it was, despite their pride and obvious skill, they had numerous enemies and they alone commanded the throngs of cloned troops. It wasn't a very bright future and yet all they could do was fight. They had to preserve something. They were fighting for something.

I'd forgotten what that was like. Even with Glory, all I had to do was protect my sister. I wasn't fighting to save the world or an entire universe like they were… I had been fighting for my own selfish reasons. And Jedi were about as selfless as you could get.

"It isn't going too well," he replied at last. He was still unable to look at me.

I gave a small smile of triumph.

"Obi-Wan wouldn't tell me anything," I countered. "When I asked him, he told me that even if I knew it wouldn't matter."

"Why would he tell you that?" Anakin asked, puzzled.

"Because he doesn't want me to know the truth," I replied. "I think he's afraid of me finding out, but he really doesn't know what I've been through."

"You've been through war?" he asked.

"Of course I've been through war. There have only been like two hundred years of peace in the entire history of my world. Personally though… yeah, I fight. I don't fight to save a universe though. Sometimes I fight to save the world."

"Maybe that's why you're here."

"I wish I knew," I muttered under my breath.

"Were there people like us?"

"You mean Jedi?"

"Yeah," Anakin replied, shrugging.

"Actually, no. There was only me… well, me and my psychotic sister Slayer. But it was my death that led to her calling, sort of. But we didn't have this big organization with all of those rules to fall back on. We just had us… ourselves, our skills and our instincts."

Anakin smiled ruefully. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"It makes dying a right pain in the ass, though," I murmured. "I guess sometimes it's better to fight alone, but other times…"

"I guess I really don't understand all of that."

"But you should, right? I mean, we both have the weight of the world on our shoulders. In your case, you've got multiple worlds on yours. How you can stand it…"

"Because we must," Anakin replied simply. "I don't have a choice and I imagine you didn't."

"Blasé much?"

"I was chosen because I was lucky enough to have the preferred number of midichlorians required for a chosen one," Anakin sighed. "It's a hard bargain, but at least I know that when I take my rightful place as the chosen one, I won't be alone."

"I guess that's comforting."

"I mean, you're here too, right?"

I blinked as he said that. All I thought I was to him was a distraction, an annoyance… nothing more. "I…"

"Don't be too modest," he said with that smile. I felt part of my ghostly self start to melt from my self-impudence. Sure, this was something I wasn't expecting. I guess part of my life had been spent pushing people away and they were accepting me?

Oh, and that _smile_.

"You're more valuable than you think," Anakin continued, seeing the surprise on my face and feeling my emotions ripple through the Force. As he walked past me back out into the corridors, I felt my body tremble. I was having an overemotional reaction. And here I thought that was forbidden in the Jedi order.

Part of me also wondered if slight crushes were forbidden. Or lust… was that bad? Something about emotional attachments stuck in my head.

God… if I'd lived with this code back in Sunnydale, I'd have died at the hands of the Master. Without my friends, I realize how truly small I am.

Just like when I look out at the stars.

x-o-x

Obi-Wan was standing outside in the main bridge area, his eyes fixed outside a view port window. In the distance, Cato Neimoidia was a sea of streaks, flashes and occasional blurs. "I don't like waiting here for nothing," he said to no one in particular.

"We still have been unable to track the ship that escaped, General."

Obi-Wan felt his palm slap over his face and he barely held a sigh. "This has not been our battle, apparently."

"You are correct, sir. This battle has fallen ill."

It was a story that had been repeated many times for several different Jedi. But it didn't happen to him. The dream team of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker was a team that miraculously swooped in and saved the day. In this war, they were a symbol of hope.

It was hard to feel symbolic when something like this happened. This mission had been a failure from the beginning. Something had been botched somewhere.

It was hard for him to not point the finger at his ghostly shadow.

Despite the fact she seemed competent, things had been far simpler without her around. She had somehow wedged into their carefully constructed bond. She was a third wheel of their operation. She was…

"General Kenobi?"

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he turned his attention to the Clone Commander standing behind him. "Yes?"

"We will not stop searching the system until we find that ship."

Though he knew it was meant to be a reassurance, he felt somewhat disheartened by these words. Had things gone according to his plan, they wouldn't be in this predicament.

"Somehow I don't think they'd have stayed."

Obi-Wan did however feel assured as his former apprentice appeared by his side.

"Should we widen the search?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said in what he hoped was a pleasant tone.

"And we will also join the search," Anakin offered. Obi-Wan glanced at him in surprise. Anakin shrugged before offering an explanation. "It will help the time pass so we don't _dwell_ on things."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but agree.

"Master?" Anakin asked after Cody had left to relay the new orders.

"Yes, Anakin?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Don't blame her for this," Anakin asked quietly. "She didn't earn it. She didn't know."

"I couldn't tell her," Obi-Wan admitted. "I couldn't tell her that we were not winning this war. I couldn't tell her that so many of us are dying… so many more will die. I couldn't tell her that this will again be her fate."

"She will long outlive the both of us," Anakin said with a small smile. "We should trust her now that she knows a part of the truth."

"I did let her in on the Jedi code."

"That may have been a mistake," Anakin chuckled. "She has never had to live with such a code."

"How could you tell?" Obi-Wan asked, the faintest hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"She is… unique," Anakin agreed.

They remained silent for a few minutes more before it was decided between them that they should get to their ships. They were about to leave the bridge when they heard one of the Clones calling them back.

"We have just received word from an outward sweep," the young lieutenant said, tapping on his controls. "The command ship is dead in space a quarter parsec from our exact location."

"Did you say it was dead in space?" Obi-Wan asked curiously as he and Anakin joined the lieutenant at his station.

"What's this?"

Both men turned to see the woman enter the bridge with the air of authority about her. They carefully avoided each other's gazes as they turned back to the monitor.

"According to the report, there were no trace of power emissions… the ship looked to have suffered a total power failure."

"What has no power?" I asked, finally deciding to jump in on the party.

"Set a course," Anakin said to the lieutenant. "We need to investigate this further."

"It will be done, sir," the lieutenant clone replied.

Obi-Wan turned to me to explain the situation. "The command ship that took off before you could stop it."

"What do you mean before I could stop it?" I asked, confused. Turning to the lieutenant, I shouted, "Hey! Did it actually work?"

Both Jedi turned to look at one another before turning back to me. "Did what work?" they asked in unison.

x-o-x

_We're one chapter away from the beginning of 'Revenge of the Sith'. If you couldn't tell, the only books I've read are the ones associated with the movies, so I'm flying by the rear of something here. The local library here across from the courthouse I work at suffered a severe fire so their stock of Star Wars novels is… nothing. And could you believe that this town does NOT have a coffeehouse or a book store? Nope… I've got my online sources and that's about it._

_PS: Babbling aside, I enjoy reviews :)  
_


	13. Smarter Than You

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Smarter Than You

**Summary: ** Buffy proves she actually has a brain when something is discovered that can change the outcome of a war.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **Now we have crossed the threshold… the story is half done. Excuse the delay… I didn't forget about this story, I was just concentrating on the nearly impossible task of updating the other one. Welcome to the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end!

Yes, this is the second version of the chapter. Excuse the crappy writing and we'll try this again! I must thank Sithspawn for allowing me to see the error of my ways –facepalm-

x-o-x

**Smarter Than You**

The mood on the ship was tense as _Vigilance _slowly maneuvered around the remains of what had once been a Trade Federation battleship in all its glory. But for reasons yet undetermined by _Vigilance's _clone geniuses, the ship was without power and half of its life pods were scattered across the nearest space. Some life pods had utterly failed, with hull breaches and no signs of life. Some had been plucked up by tractor and had been moved into the hangar bay, only to discover they were full of droids. Obviously they had been scattered about as a trap. But one droid gave one single utterance before he died; the Viceroy had managed to escape again by using the same craft he and his staff had used when they had escaped Geonosis.

But the clones on the bridge had come across something else. There was a strong energy reading on the main bridge of the gigantic ship. And while the temptation was there to go through each life pod but each contained the possibility of a trap.

"We need to figure out what happened," Obi-Wan said, pacing behind me. "I believe you have had something to do with this."

"And what would I want to do with one of those things?" I asked coolly. The clones had been reading from the technical readouts. When they had finally gotten to a schematic of the ship from the landing bay on Cato Neimoidia, there was no doubt in my mind is was a triangle ship.

"It must have docked with the battleship on the edge of the system," Anakin said, standing at the monitor and reading from the list that kept scrolling through. "The bridge is still in tact. There is a strong signal coming from this section." He pointed to something on the monitor and Obi-Wan, who had crossed back to the station, frowned as he read from the technical schematic.

"Hmm. You described the ship that had taken off in that hangar as a landing craft."

"Yes," I said calmly. Even as I spoke the Clones continued about as though nothing were out of the ordinary. They must assume that the Jedi were talking amongst themselves since they didn't question why Obi-Wan was apparently looking at nothing when he talked to me. "It was a landing craft. It looked like a triangle-shaped shark or something… with engines."

Brushing my obvious nonchalance for period technology aside, Obi-Wan turned to speak quietly with Anakin. Luckily for me, I had my Slayer-enhanced hearing. But I didn't want to hear them insult me behind my back. "Excuse you," I said, planting my body in front of them. "In case you haven't noticed…" I lifted my arm and pointed sharply at my head. "I can hear you."

"Are ghosts normally so irritating?" Anakin asked, a small smile playing around his lips.

"As I've actually seen ghosts, I'll have to say yes," I replied in a bored voice, letting my arm fall to my side. "Normally they try to possess you and then get you to shoot someone first, but you know what? That's beside the point."

"You asked if something had worked," Obi-Wan said slowly, meeting me in the eye. "What were you talking about?"

x-o-x

_I'm ready for this._

_I had laid the groundwork for the terminal, finding what I had wanted to find. Atmospheric controls for the ship. Electrical conduits pumped fuel into the ship. Using the computer terminal I was at, I turned off the liquid elements that were currently refueling the main ship. Using the knowledge I had gained from the other terminal, I had found the network accidentally when looking for droid control. _

_The network there was also connected to the ship._

_After a few seconds, an idea came to mind and I worked towards carrying it out. If it worked like I desperately hoped it would, the Jedi would get what they had come for. If it didn't… well, I didn't need to tell anyone what I had done here. I just needed a few more moments to get this thing figured out and then I would be set. Through the communications relays, I heard the Viceroy talking about the Jedi's escape. A fierce smile lit my face as I continued working. Now they suspected a third one. I was the third hand. Me, little old Buffy._

_I let out a triumphant cry as my commands were sent through the network. Now… I hoped it would work._

_I turned around and left the hangar command center, spying the ship below me. I knew they were desperate to escape because the Jedi were loose, but they didn't know that the Jedi were just trying to save their own lives. _

_It was then that the engines started, the fumes blasting through my body as I waited below the large ship. As the fuel lines were removed, I felt something like triumph._

_This had to work. It just had to._

x-o-x

"I did exactly what I told it to do… I think."

"What do you mean, you think?" Anakin asked, frowning as he gazed down at the technical readout. "It looks like the ship suffered a massive power loss and parts of the ship were vented out into space completely. Was that your master plan?"

"I honestly don't know what I did," I said truthfully. "I just did the only thing I could think of. And I think it had something to do with suffocation."

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged a look at the dreamy look on my face.

"Are you always this morbid?" Obi-Wan asked in a hushed voice.

"Mm… yes," I whispered, tilting my head and gazing up. "I like playing with death." Realizing then they had no idea what I was talking about, I straightened and gave them my brightest smile.

"Let me get this straight," Obi-Wan said, pacing behind me as he tried to put the pieces of my story together, "you managed to infiltrate the base hangar computer, programmed it to vent breathable air into space, set the programming so the reactors would shut down and then eject the life pods before there was any hope of getting off the ship?"

"I thought I did that to the little one?" I offered in my tiniest voice, adding with it the smallest of smiles.

"When the ship was brought into that landing deck, it was likely linked with the rest of the ship. If that is the case, the Viceroy may have had something critical aboard the cruiser." A look dawned on Obi-Wan's face as he turned to look at the Clone lieutenant standing at his station behind Anakin. "Check for the power signature again and scan for life signs."

The lieutenant nodded and began tapping away at his controls as I stood there, feeling quite brainless but yet feeling somewhat triumphant that tampering with the computer had gotten me this far. I couldn't help but feel smug about it too, considering the Jedi could barely manage to escape with their lives, much less stall the Viceroy.

"If the droid was correct in saying the Viceroy has escaped, then we have wasted precious time around this debris field instead of going after the Viceroy."

"Or maybe the Viceroy has somehow returned to Cato Neimoidia and the entire droid fleet will be here within a half day," Anakin said.

"Either way, we're running out of time," Obi-Wan frowned.

"There are no life signs aboard the ship," the lieutenant said. "And the power signature is separate from the reactors. Whatever the source is, it is different from the reactors. They are offline. However, the air is not breathable," the clone continued. "What do you suggest we do, Master Jedi?"

I forced myself to look to Obi-Wan, who paused in his pacing and suddenly smiled. "Care to take a trip?"

"Me?" I asked in confusion.

"You alone will not be affected by the lack of air," Obi-Wan replied as Anakin suddenly started laughing.

"And what if the ship is rigged to explode?" I asked nervously. Both Jedi were staring hard at me now. They were thinking that this was my chance to prove my loyalty. Yeah… and what had I been doing before? I saved their scrawny white asses and they were pulling this on me? But instead of arguing with the chance, I needed to just suck it up and take it.

"You should be able to obtain full access to their computer systems," Anakin said easily. "It's not like you haven't done _that _before."

"Thanks for reminding me," I sighed. "All right… just tell me what I have to do."

"Allow me, Master," Anakin said, moving forward to grasp at the console. He then gestured me towards him. I stood next to him as he began to drone on and on about power regulators and switches to restore life control and computer systems to restore engines and all of this stuff I had no clue about. Finally he stopped talking and looked expectantly at me. "You get it?"

"Got it," I murmured, shaking myself awake as I squinted at the command console. There was something about restoring life support so that Obi-Wan and Anakin could come aboard without suffocating. There was something about restoring engine control, but I knew that was beyond my realm of understanding. Reinitializing a super something-or-other? Whatever.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was staring hard at the transparent girl and Anakin. What seemed strange to others seemed perfectly normal to him… Anakin was treating Buffy like she was a living, breathing human being. It was at times like these that he realized how truly extraordinary Anakin was and how proud he was to have Anakin in his life. Even when Buffy was completely clueless and didn't quite understand what was going on, Anakin was there to help.

Suddenly, they seemed a little _too _compatible.

"How are we getting to the ship?" I asked Anakin suddenly. He had just been droning on and I in my imminent boredom had decided to ask the first thing that came to my mind. I had floated through space once and was not too keen about doing it again.

"We must ensure it is not rigged to explode before we get aboard," Anakin replied, bringing up a schematic of both ships. "We'll use a pod and set it home in on that frequency." He tapped again and a number flashed to the screen.

"Are you going to let an unarmed girl go alone?" I asked innocently, throwing in my baby pout for good measure.

"No," Anakin said, giving me what he probably thought was a comforting smile. "There is an entire clone deployment that will also board the ship. Think of yourself as an undercover and unseen agent. They will scout the ship for droids and other signs of danger. Do whatever you need to do to make the ship safe for Obi-Wan and I to board."

"I think I can do that," I said weakly. I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just being impulsive and it had paid off. How was I supposed to figure out how to restore critical systems in order for two humans (well, supposedly humans) to get on board?

"If you need anything, just use the Force," Anakin said, bending down towards my neck. I felt my face instinctively tip towards his and my ghostly eyes met his. "If you are part of the Living Force as you say you are, this will not be a problem."

"Perhaps you should go," Obi-Wan said aloud, interrupting what was quickly becoming an uncomfortable situation. I backed away from Anakin sheepishly and shrugged, staring out the view port to the looming Trade Federation ship. Though tilted on its side, it still presented a dangerous target. It just looked huge from the main deck of _Vigilance _and I thought this ship was huge. Then again… a Slayer in space? Who would have thought? I turned around as a contingent of clones appeared in their full gear with helmets on, looking like a sad twist from a fantasy movie from hell. "I'm sorry," I said to Obi-Wan. He just gave me that patented look.

"I know," he said after a moment.

"And we're going," I said, watching as the clones stepped right past us, heading towards the outer levels of the main bridge. I just sighed and followed after them, my body easily floating through the metallic door. Of all the things I had walked through, a cold metal door was definitely one of the worst.

After she had left, Anakin turned to Obi-Wan with something like an accusation in his voice. "You know you could have been a little nicer. She did do us a great service in doing what she did."

"If you believe she is so innocent in her loyalties," Obi-Wan said in a voice full of practiced patience, "then she truly is smarter than you."

"Do you believe she has ulterior motives?" Anakin asked in disbelief. From what he had been able to gather from the young woman who had been with them for the past several weeks, she seemed utterly harmless compared to the distrustful fool that Obi-Wan was mistaking her for. "Did you not say she should be given the chance?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan admitted. "But be mindful of her advances, Anakin."

"Her… what?" Anakin asked, unwilling to believe his former Master had just spoken those words aloud.

"She has spoken little of her life, but she has spoken of death. Knowing this, would it be so fruitless to believe she wishes for human attachments?"

"I don't believe this," Anakin said wonderingly. "How could you say—"

"I'm just saying, Anakin," Obi-Wan interrupted, holding up his hand.

Anakin could only stare at Obi-Wan in utter disbelief. Obi-Wan had said himself that he was willing to give Buffy a chance. He was willing to trust in her, to believe in her… was all of that just fable? Even as Obi-Wan stepped smoothly around him, all Anakin could think about was Padmé and how much he really cared for her. And then his mind settled on the fact that Obi-Wan hardly knew any woman well enough to judge her advancements, least of all Buffy. She had admitted to him something about being a 'chosen one' like him, but there was nothing except hidden meaning behind these words. He knew very well that the time would soon come where they would have to ask difficult questions that she would have to answer.

But, until then, they had a mission to accomplish.

x-o-x

Even at the odd angle, the small Republic pod flew seamlessly into the handing bay. Showers of sparks rained down on the ship as it touched down amongst heaps of debris, the wrecked remains of Trade Federation star fighters. Though the ship was ultimately not a droid control ship but a ship seeking a safe haven, there were plenty of armaments aboard to protect it from the clone soldiers that had just landed.

I took a deep breath even as the door opened, facing slightly upwards and towards a hatch. That hatch led to the internal parts of the ship I knew. As we were cruising in, I saw the flat metallic ring that surrounded the ship. As the pod swept toward the landing deck on the sphere however, I felt my trepidation start to rise. The Clones amusingly exited the ship, tumbling over like little white speckled dominos before moving to the hatch. One was already toying with an explosive and the others swept back.

Once the hatch was blown, the small group of clones quickly swept into the main corridor with their weapons cocked and aiming. Unbeknownst to them, a single figure drifted above them and settled through the ceiling, opting for a more rapid approach. We had been in one of the only corridors that hadn't been affected by the venting process. It felt like such a cliché from a movie that it baffled me. But I knew I had to get to a terminal where I could program the ship to undo the things I had first programmed it to do. Too bad I had never had any real interest in engineering or computer technology. Now that I just needed my mind and a whole lot of luck, it was almost fun.

After a few minutes however, I began to realize how big this ship really was. Even though I was a ghost and had no need of oxygen, the tiny compartments above and below the decks were barely large enough for me to squeeze through unnoticed. Most circuits and wires must've been hooked up to the reactors because once I stopped to examine them, the part of me that was the part of the Living Force reminded me that if I tampered with these, I could blow up the ship and, likely, the _Vigilance_ which was still close by.

I knew I was getting close when I reached the main terminal area where the reactors were lodged. I found nothing of interest in these catacombs except for small flat computer terminals that told me things like internal reactor temperature and the amount of power fed into each reactor at any given time. At this moment there were just red lights flashing, signaling to anyone with a brain that this ship had lost all main power because the reactors had inexplicably shut down.

Now I felt like a dumb blonde. Floating back up, I continued on my way.

Apparently the Clones know how to move it. I heard the sounds of guns below me and dipped down just long enough for a look. There was some super battle droids engaged in an exciting fight with the clones. As much as I would have loved to possess a droid target and mow down the droids on my own, I had more important things to do. Like find the computer terminal and get rid of all the vacuum inside the ship. Luckily for me the clones had magnetized boots or they'd really be in trouble.

I finally found what I had been looking for: the main bridge. Scattered on the metallic-tiled ground were bodies of several Neimoidian crew members and the wreckage of droids. It took me only a few seconds to figure out that this room was nothing but a space vacuum; all air had been vented into space. It amazed me the hull was still intact. I had noticed a few cracks that grew in size the closer I got to the room, but nevertheless the fact the room hadn't blown into space was just a nod at the engineers who had created this friggin' big ship.

Unlike the fact I wanted the ship to stop dead in space and vent to force them to hide or something, my real intention had never been to harm them. I killed vampires and demons for a living. Despite the fact they looked like oddly distorted toads, they were still living beings that hadn't bitten or killed anyone. There were just a few from my understanding that were actually against the very government the Jedi were fighting for. Those were the ones I didn't necessarily want to hurt. Well, maybe torture a little bit. A girl has to have some fun.

"Hello, computer," I said with a smirk as I came forward, flexing my fingers as I stared at a large panel of buttons, monitors and the like, most of which were dark. Something in bright yellow symbols kept flashing. I had a feeling it meant something like 'danger!' or 'get off the ship before you die!'. I just hoped it didn't mean anything like 'ship set to blow in fifteen seconds, vacate now'. That wouldn't be so fun.

"Let's see what I can do." It was all I could promise. Before I could really question what I was about to do, I plunged my hands inside the monitor and felt around. The first thing I felt were the sparks of electricity, damaged from the internal pressure that had built as livable air had been vented out. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. But when I found something about restoring oxygen flow and restoring backup power long enough to close off space which lurked so close by, I took it. A moment later pale lights filled in the bridge. It was at this time more than any that I wished I could breathe. But if I had been alive and standing here, my body would have torn itself apart by now. Lucky me.

Suddenly I heard the sounds of metallic joints moving, heavy footsteps pounding down on the ground just outside one of the few doors into the section. I quickly pulled my hands out of the controls and melted into the walls as the door burst open and four droids I had never seen before stormed in, aiming their weapons about.

"Power has been restored," one grunted. "We must make contact with the control ship."

"Roger, roger."

"Crap," I whispered, unable to hold back. My hand slid back into the controls and instead of reaching blindly, I decided to take fate into my hands and follow the advice of the pretty Jedi Knight. I closed my eyes and felt my soul reaching for something so close and yet so far away. A moment later, I felt it flow through me.

It was beyond the most incredible feeling, the Force as it surged through me and aimed my fingertips. The Force worked through me to disengage communications so that the droids couldn't contact reinforcements. Even as they exclaimed in surprise that a Republic battleship was just off the port side and that Republic clones were reported aboard I knew I had to stop them. There weren't any droid controls which meant I had to go about it the old fashioned way. Before I could act, however, a second door burst open. The first sign that what I had done was working was when the fire from the grenade actually burned for a few seconds before the fire suppression system kicked in. The lack of oxygen would have killed the flame quickly.

A small group of clones stormed into the deck. Before the droids could react, they were rubble atop their dead masters.

"Make contact with Cazin," one of the clones ordered another. "Tell him main ship control room is secure."

"Aye, sir," the clone said, turning his back and making the contact. A moment later, the clone turned back. "Sir! Lieutenant Cazin has found the source of power. It's up on the isolated bridge."

As the clones moved out, I drifted nonchalantly back into the ceiling and soon came through the floor in the bridge area. A wide circular area with long rectangular seats and a few computer consoles decorated the otherwise bleak deck. Before I could even begin to decipher something, I felt something pass through me and sighed in annoyance when I realized it was Lieutenant Cazin himself.

"This is the source of power," Cazin said, placing his gloved hand on the back of a wide rectangular chair. "It has a power source of its own. As main power was down, this must be running on a generator of its own."

"Huh," I muttered under my breath, coming to rest next to him and staring at the unimpressive chair. Something was coming back to me now, something that the computer had actually relayed to me as I had tinkered within the systems…

And then it struck me – this chair belonged to the Viceroy. That was the reason why the Neimoidian shuttle had docked with the larger ship. It presented a much more tempting target…

Glancing down at the chair, I gingerly reached down into it. There was a single panel of buttons built into the chair and below that some wires and circuitry. The main power source was definitely something that powered the chair alone. It was unlikely the Neimoidians even knew the chair was still active. If it had been rendered inactive, it would have been all but impossible to start it up again. I was just removing my arm when one of the clones reached through my shoulder and pressed on a single button.

"But why would the Viceroy leave this here?"

"I imagine they were waiting for the ship to implode. Another few hours and there would have been nothing but debris." Lieutenant Cazin glanced around the bridge. "Spread out. I want those computer logs downloaded to the pod. Maybe they'll give a clue as to where the Viceroy has escaped to… or who he's been in contact with."

x-o-x

Anakin and Obi-Wan were standing on opposite sides of the tiny pod as it sailed through space. It had been over four hours since the Clones had landed on the ship and had gone into radio silence to not be detected by the droids. Since that time, the Jedi had received a communiqué giving them the best route for the ship to arrive at the bridge in one piece. Large sections of the ship, the outer ring especially, were heavily damaged from the exposure to normal space without the reactor core provided energy for shields. The large ship just remained out, slightly tilted on its axis, battered by debris from other sections of the ship. Since they had left _Vigilance_, a great part of the hull on the upper end of the sphere had exploded, sending shards of metal and deck plate into space. But even more interesting was the communiqué they had received from Lieutenant Cazin alerting them to the presence of the power source.

Both Jedi stood with arms crossed, their minds focused on the Force. Obi-Wan occasionally felt a small ripple when Buffy used her newly gained mental abilities to do something. Whenever he felt it pass, he would smile. Despite his reservations and his words, he did have faith in her abilities. He did believe in giving her this chance and knew that this was the time she was taking it. He just wasn't too trusting about her compatibility with Anakin.

Oh, he felt he was being petty. He knew that Buffy mixing into their comfortable routine was throwing him off and he resented her for it. And the more he resented her, the more he realized he was being ridiculous. She was as thrown off by this as he was. He couldn't blame her for suddenly showing up. It was his own fault for picking up the cross. Even though it was light years away in Coruscant, he still felt the attachment towards it.

Obi-Wan had only ever had three real attachments. The first was to the Jedi Order. He believed strongly in becoming the Jedi that Qui-Gon Jinn had wanted him to be. And then he had turned around to teach Anakin to be the Jedi he had been taught to be. He was proud to be Anakin's mentor and his friend. His other attachments were to Anakin above all, because Anakin had needed the guidance. The past two and a half years had taught him that much. His last attachment was to protecting the integrity of the Republic he had been serving since he first wielded a lightsaber. He was a peaceful man and becoming this General and negotiator were just responsibilities dealt to him through the Jedi Council of which he was a member. He couldn't fault them for that.

But when Buffy had suddenly been thrust into his life, it had taken an ironic, comical turn.

Being a simple man and wanting the simple life as much as possible, Obi-Wan settled for being the well-taught, well-practiced Jedi Master he was. He was proud to have gone as far as he did. And though she was at times irritating, there were times where her mind and abilities did come shining through at the last moment. He had to respect her for that. Whoever sent her to the Jedi had given a great gift to both her and to him.

Anakin, on the other hand, knew that his former Master was just shirking away from the responsibility of dealing with another rebellious youth. She had to be around his age, perhaps a year or two younger. She was intelligent, yes. She was also quite new at the Jedi arts as he could feel from the small ripples in the Force. She was trying so hard to prove herself to them when really she didn't have to try at all. When she had possessed the hard, metallic bodies of the droids, she hadn't shot them or even tried to harm them. She believed she was aiding them. They believed she was aiding them. It was a symbiotic relationship.

But the truth was, she needed Obi-Wan. He was her anchor, her catalyst, her attachment for being on Coruscant and in their reality. But there was so much more that she needed to know. And there was so much they needed to know.

Even if attachments such as love were forbidden, Anakin knew deep within himself that he was the best person to reach her. As an ordinary human outside Jedi control, she would have had no boundaries for attachments. He knew that his forbidden marriage would serve as a test for his involvement with the Jedi in the future and he knew that when the time came difficult choices would have to be made. He was willing to put that aside for the moment because of the war. Knowing Padmé gave him the courage to look at Buffy as more than just a tool of the Jedi and more as a woman. He knew he could reach her through that approach. Try as Obi-Wan might, he may never be fully satisfied until he knew the total truth. And he knew his mentor and his dearest friend would not be able to reach her the way he could.

"General Kenobi, welcome back."

Obi-Wan smiled as their communications radio kicked out and he felt himself slip more into a defensive mode. Anakin's hand instinctively reached for his lightsaber. Their small pod entered the landing deck, the clone driving the pod setting it down on the other side of the other pod. Once they managed to climb out of the cruiser, both found the air was actually quite breathable, if not a bit thin. Glancing at one another, they moved quickly with their Clone guards into the main corridor. Anakin slipped the mental picture of the Lieutenant's map into his head and began moving steadily, Obi-Wan just trying his best to keep up with the younger man.

After little resistance, they found the bridge, climbing from the level below. A group of Clones stood around a single computer station, working to download the ship logs in order for them to decipher later. Lieutenant Cazin and one other Clone stood waiting for them on the other side of a large, elaborate black chair.

"Well?" Anakin asked smugly, folding his arms and glancing at the chair. Obi-Wan barely managed to hold in his sigh.

"You wished to show us something?"

"Yes," Cazin said, turning around to gesture at the chair. "From what we were able to decipher, the Viceroy's ship docked and the chair was brought to the bridge. Our best guess is that the chair was left here so that it would never be found."

"They were hoping that hull integrity would buckle," Anakin realized, a sickened look coming to his face. "The Viceroy must have known we would come after him. If he were discovered with the chair…"

"It is likely that this ship is not safe," Obi-Wan said, lifting his gaze to look around. "We must hurry. It is likely the ship will self destruct if normal space had not yet ripped the ship to threads."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Obi-Wan jumped slightly and turned around. Buffy was standing alone at the command center with her hands on her hips. Obi-Wan felt a sudden sense of foreboding at the triumphant look in her eyes. Smirking, she moved to the chair and placed her hand just inches above the back. "This thing has a secret."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and huffed out, "Would you care to enlighten us?"

Cazin, believing the comment was meant for him, leaned down and tapped a series of buttons. Suddenly, a hologram appeared on a small metallic table just in front of the chair.

Obi-Wan and Anakin watched as the sole figure sat for a moment. "The time has come," the figure said, his voice just dripping with malice and discontent. "The time of the Jedi is over. We will crush their fruitless, futile effort to seize control of the galaxy. And I have just the plan. Viceroy, you must spread thin your defenses and keep the Jedi at bay. They will never stop looking for you, which will give us ample opportunity to move against them…" The message continued on for another moment before they heard the Viceroy's ever-so-quiet 'yes, Lord Sidious' and then the hologram went dark.

"The signal could not be pinpointed," Cazin said, glancing at the clouded reactions on both Jedi's faces. "But this message was received just moments before they abandoned ship."

"It was never meant to be found," I choked out, staring hard at where the figure had just been standing. I felt the greatest unsettled feeling in my nonexistent abdomen. Something was seriously wrong here. "This has to be a trap."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked as Obi-Wan turned to give orders back to Cazin.

"You heard the evil guy… 'keep the Jedi at bay'. They're running you guys around in circles. They obviously have a plan. If what I heard about Dracula was true, then this could be the same plan to attack Coruscant."

"What?" Anakin asked, a blank look falling in front of his eyes. Before I could respond however, Obi-Wan leaned into our little group, pretty much wedging himself between Anakin and me.

"Did you hear as I did the Viceroy speak?"

"He said Lord Sidious," I replied, nodding. "But what has that got to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything," Anakin said grimly. "Count Dooku was a suspected Sith Lord. What if he has an apprentice already?"

"Or," I said, feeling something unsettle more within me, "what if Dookula wasn't a Sith Lord, but merely the apprentice?"

Both Jedi waved off my uncertainties and began to speak again. Obi-Wan told Anakin what I had seen back on Cato Neimoidia when Count Dooku had warned of an impending attack on Coruscant. Coupled with this message from a Sith Lord, it became very clear that more was going on than met the eye.

The message had ended with a cold warning that Coruscant would be attacked and that the target was either the Jedi, the Chancellor or both.

"Master?" Anakin prompted gently.

Obi-Wan was silent a moment longer before turning to the lieutenant. "We must get this chair to the Vigilance. It is the one hint of proof that we are dealing with the Sith here."

"We may have no choice, Master, but to go back to Coruscant," Anakin spoke up. "If the droid attack is underway, they could easily jam any transmissions into the capital."

"This I know," Obi-Wan replied. "But for now, that is what we must do."

"And what of Nemoidia, General?" the lieutenant asked.

"We should leave a contingent behind," Obi-Wan replied at last. "But the Council must be warned that we have discovered that a Sith Lord remains at large."

I couldn't help but agree with him, even though something still wasn't sitting right with me. As the Clones moved in to detach the chair, Obi-Wan held up a hand. "Has this been scanned for explosives?"

"No, General."

Obi-Wan sent Anakin a quick look and the younger Jedi moved forward to explain proper procedure as Obi-Wan sidled up to me. "Will you check to see if moving this chair will cause it to detonate?"

"What am I looking for?" I asked, confused.

"A detonation device or a trigger, both of which could spell certain doom for us."

Hmm, more vague statements. I gave him a quite salute before bending down to reach into the chair. Though I felt a strong power source which I realized would be futile to turn off, I found nothing else of any threatening nature. I was worried about the power source which seemed to be something small, like a tiny generator or something fueled with superheated fluids. I reached into the generator and though I really had no sense, I felt the overwhelming heat as my hand moved about. I then found what I was looking for.

"What is it?" Anakin murmured as he bent down next to me under the guise of detaching the chair's button controller device… or whatever it was called.

"I'm inside the power source," I whispered, "and I think there's something here."

"What does it feel like?"

"I don't know… it's like a switch or something."

A dawning look came over Anakin's face. "Use the Force," he said in a low voice as he noticed the group of clones returning with large equipment they would use to dislodge and move the chair.

"What?"

"You're running out of time," he said in a hurried tone. "Use the Force to guide you."

For the second time that day, I listened to him. I felt through the Force and moments later I felt a soft click as something detached from something else. Moments later the Clones had arrived and were pulling the chair from the socket. As the chair moved through my body, I backed away until I was standing next to Anakin. "Thanks," I whispered.

"Anytime."

Obi-Wan found me moments later still standing in my little corner. "What is it?"

"I can't explain it," I replied, "but something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?" he asked, glancing straight at me.

"This ship, their mission, that man… I can't really explain it because I don't know what I'm feeling, just that I feel it."

"Master, they're ready to move the chair."

"Give them the go-ahead," Obi-Wan called out. Turning back to me, he asked, "Would you feel better if you set the self destruction on this ship?"

I paused for a moment, pretending to think. "I think I would."

"Then do it," he said, his eyes sparkling. "Let's give them the false sense of security that we never found what they were looking for."

"How much time should I set it for?" I asked, moving to the large console and reaching down inside it.

"Set it for a half hour," he said. At my incredulous look, he continued. "This is a large ship and most if not all of us are not quite as fast as you."

"All right," I said, moving my hands around as the computer protocols came to my mind. There were atmospheric controls, weapons controls, reactor core controls… maybe I should start with that. I set the reactor core to overheat and quickly set one other on the opposite side of the sphere to follow suit.

"Master!" Anakin hissed, moving closer to us. "We should go. Radio traffic just picked up the Trade Federation fleet."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, forcing himself to nod. "Come on, Buffy. We've done all we can here."

Though I had completed my mission I followed them blindly, still unable to shake the notion that something was going on here that the Jedi obviously didn't know about.

x-o-x

"I have been unable to contact the Council," Obi-Wan said hours later as he walked into a hold where Anakin and a small group of clones were going over the chair that had been removed from the Viceroy's ship. "There have been reports as well that Neimoidian ships have attempted to break through the blockade but have been stopped. We must assume that they will attempt to get reinforcements through the other way. We are working to quell their advances, but our numbers are still not sufficient."

"We may have assistance with Master Koon," Anakin said, glancing up. "His contingent is in the next sector. He was able to secure his world and will be able to assist us so we can get back to Coruscant in time."

"We do not yet know the timeline of the attack," Obi-Wan said quietly. "But I do feel that if he initiates this attack, there is little defense around Coruscant. They will have to make do with what limited resources are still at the capital. We can't leave this territory, not yet."

"I understand, Master," Anakin agreed, bending over to remove yet another control from the chair. After a beat, he added, "Have you talked to Buffy yet?"

"She insists on being left alone," Obi-Wan said, sounding puzzled.

"That's something you have in common," Anakin murmured, moving underneath the chair even as he heard Obi-Wan chastising him.

In a more private area, I was finally able to unwind. My mind was spinning and I so wished that someone would tell me where it was leading because without the rest of the story, the wrong assumption could mean certain doom for Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Speaking of Obi-Wan…

"I know you wanted to be left alone," he said, sweeping into my private room with such grace it amazed me, "but I wanted to apologize to you for my harsh words."

I sat up, narrowing my eyes at him. "Really?"

"Yes," he said, glancing down and taking a few calming breaths. "I will not hold you accountable for such events that you have no control over."

"Yes, dear bard," I said sarcastically, leaning back against the wall without trying to push my back through said wall.

"Please, Buffy—"

"Okay, so you don't trust me… well, I don't altogether trust you, either. You or Anakin. You may have this special mission and be assigned to save the universe, but this was never where I wanted to go. You can pass all the judgment and assumptions on me you want. You can blame me for Cato Neimoidia. I know the mission was a disaster—"

"Had you not acted, we would have—"

"You're not letting me finish," I said, fixing him with my deadliest glare and holding up my hand. "Blame me all you want. It doesn't change the fact that no matter what you do and no matter what you say, I'm still here. You can hurt me as much as you want. You can insult me all you want. I'm not going to break. Trust me," I said, a painful smile coming to my face, "I've been through worse."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to talk and I held up my hand again.

"Don't come in here and assume that just because I'm not a testosterone hormone bomb I'm not worthy of your little boy's only club. I saw the blue girl with the long horn thingies. She's a pretty damned good kicker too if you get what I'm saying. My point is," I said, finishing with a sigh as I noticed Obi-Wan suddenly looked affronted, "your normal Jedi tricks aren't going to work on me. You can't push me down. You're not going to push me away. No matter how mean you are to me, you'll always know that I'm better than that."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth again but quickly shut it and lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

"Don't think you can get rid of me so easily," I concluded, rising to stand in front of him. "Because if you've seen this, you haven't seen anything yet."

With that, I faded away into nothingness, leaving Obi-Wan and an entering Anakin silent. After a moment, Anakin sent Obi-Wan a knowing look as Obi-Wan backed out of the room.

In the place where I was, I could smile as Qui-Gon stepped up next to me. "Well spoken," he said in a pleased tone. "I think you got your point across."

x-o-x

Okay, so… I fixed this chapter. I ended up rewriting about half of it in the space of about three hours. I just had a bitch of a day at work and didn't feel like dealing with anyone tonight. Luckily for me this turned out to be an option. Now if only I could motivate myself to update my other stories…

Now, to individual responses...

BlueDove - Sometimes I don't like character interaction where it's nothing but explanations because I feel that though they're necessary, they're out of character. I find them hard at times to write and even harder to make credible. I'm just glad I was able to make this past chapter sound credible.

The Sithspawn - Yes, Buffy is still struggling to fit in. She'll probably always struggle to fit in. She had problems fitting in with the normal, ordinary kids at Sunnydale High. But now she's amongst a league of heroes with extraordinary skill and powers and she has no body and can take no form. Though she wants to act, sometimes she'll have to accept the fact she won't be able to. To answer your question, they will learn about her past life.

Naitch03 - I know you're the wealth of knowledge... you've got so much knowledge about the Star Wars verse! As for Buffy and Dooku... that's the next chapter.

im2cool4love - Thank you for reviewing! As to answer your questions... Anakin is still married to Padme. He will remain married to Padme. As for Buffy being paired with someone, I will answer that she's really not. It's hard to pair her with someone and there are so many I would love to attempt... maybe if something happens whilst writing it'll happen but for this story I have no intentions to pair her up.

Toniboo - Obi-Wan has his reasons for blaming Buffy, some of which were brought up in this chapter. Pretty soon he may not be able to blame her, though...

w1cked angel - I will say this... Buffy and Anakin will not be paired together. They do have a lot in common but in this story it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. Buffy does have feelings for Anakin but once she discovers the truth about Padme, they'll be pretty well quashed. I also hoped to focus the story off of Buffy because though she doesn't understand what's going on in this story, they do. Thank you for your review!

Dragan S - Oh, Buffy still has a few surprises up her sleeves...

The next chapter: The golden trio head for the capital to ward off an impending attack... but are too late...


	14. See No Evil, Speak No Evil

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **See No Evil, Speak No Evil

**Summary: ** The Jedi trio head to a spare planet in the Outer Rim in order to stop the Dooku before the attack begins.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **I promise, I did not forget this story. My health has been rather poor as of late and life has sort of jumped off. I have been trying to take it easy lately, which means that I'm writing again. I will also apologize for not jumping ahead to the battle of Coruscant. I've been doing my research lately and stumbled upon a story in between Coruscant and the disaster of Cato Neimoidia. I promise the next chapter will begin the story of Coruscant!

x-o-x

**See No Evil, Speak No Evil**

"Obi-Wan was able to get through to Coruscant."

I glanced up, breaking from my thoughts as Anakin walked and sat on the bench next to me. His face wore the same tense expression as usual, his eyes darker.

"Did we warn them in time?"

"There has been no attack," Anakin replied. "But they know that Coruscant may be a target."

I glanced out into the vast emptiness of space and felt as though I could hear my heart beat again. "And us?"

"We're not going back."

I closed my eyes. "They must be idiots not to trust the words of you two."

"Oh, they trust us… but this isn't our battle. Not yet," Anakin said in a low voice as two Clones walked by, seemingly oblivious to our conversation. "We have a new mission."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Our intelligence has directed us to another star system. We need to find Count Dooku and our sources say he's somewhere in the Outer Rim."

"What about Coruscant?" I really didn't feel like leaving the pretty planet helpless was the way to go.

"Coruscant has a defense of its own," a different voice answered. I glanced up as Obi-Wan approached. "If the Separatists attack--"

"Don't you mean when?"

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged a look. "We don't know for certain if their target is even Coruscant."

"But the chair--"

"The chair could have been a set-up," Anakin replied, glancing at me. I blinked at him in confusion. "There are other reports... the attack can come anywhere at any time. Our responsibility is to attack Dooku."

"What makes you so sure he's this Sith Lord you've been looking for?"

"Because he has to be," Obi-Wan replied, sitting down on the opposite side of Anakin. "Or perhaps because there's no one else."

Something in his words unsettled me. I felt as though his words were false because there was something far deeper and much darker than these two Jedi were willing to see. I held my silence, though. I wasn't going to break out my 'I told you so' bug just yet.

"We're preparing to make the flight to Nelvaan."

"What are we going to do there?" I asked curiously.

"Dooku may be hiding there. It is said most of the warriors of that world have disappeared which is a good hint that something bad is happening and someone bad is involved."

I felt a sudden chill and looked away. "What if he's not there?"

"We don't give up simply because he's not there," Obi-Wan said, amused. "We will search the next star system and the next..."

"I'm just not too keen on fighting blindly."

"If you're fighting at all."

I glanced up at Obi-Wan sharply and he just returned my gaze. "I fight. I may not have a body, but I can pun with the best of them. If I wasn't fighting, why did I bother saving your lives?"

Anakin sighed and pressed his hands to his face. "Now is not the time for pettyness, children."

"He's quite right," Obi-Wan said.

"The point is, don't insult me unless it's actually a good insult," I grumbled. "I thought Jedi would have snappier comebacks. Isn't that the point of my being around, to keep you on your toes?"

"You're keeping us on something," Anakin murmured as Obi-Wan sent me a withering look before rolling his eyes to his former Padawan.

"It's almost like being part of a team again, except the whole noncorporeal thing," I replied, glancing up at Obi-Wan, who was staring off at the view port with the strangest look on his face.

On the whole, they did seem to make a good team. Buffy brought an imbalance to the coherence that seemed to make them question things that didn't normally need questioning. She brought with her a sense of imagination, something that opened a wide world to them in respect to fighting off their respective foes. He wasn't sure when it happened, but despite the pains she caused him, she gave back to their team.

And then he realized that he had been staring at her with a dreamy look on his face and peered at her face, which suddenly wore a frightened look. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"He's plotting, Buffy," Anakin snickered.

"I don't want him to plot," I deadpanned. "Make him stop."

"I can't. He outranks me." Anakin was clearly enjoying watching her tremble, even though it was just watching her ghostly self twitch back and forth.

"If you don't make him stop, I will," I said, turning back to Obi-Wan and placing what I hoped was my most seductive look on my face. Anakin immediately burst out laughing and Obi-Wan shook himself out of his thoughts, his eyes darkening in annoyance at the thought of his two charges laughing.

"We must make preparations," Obi-Wan said sternly. Anakin abruptly stopped laughing, cleared his throat and moved to stand at attention. He was obviously used to Obi-Wan Nagobi's lectures. They were more boring than Professor Walsh's and she had tried to kill me. "Anakin, contact the fleet. Tell them of our preparations. We should clear this system as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said, bowing his head and moving off.

This left me and Obi-Wan. I glanced longingly after Anakin. Obi-Wan saw my look and frowned. "You need not concern yourself with him for the time being," he said grumpily. "You should try to concentrate on the matters at hand instead of your own hormones."

"Why?" I asked coolly. "It's not like you have any."

"Oh, I have my hormones," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I, unlike some, have learned to control mine."

"By being a Jedi?" I retorted. "Being a Jedi is not a license to be an ass, Obi-Wan. Maybe if you'd get some, you'd lose the attitude."

"If I got some of what?" he asked conversationally.

I just narrowed my eyes at him and turned my head, looking elsewhere. "You're impossible," I murmured.

"And you're acting juvenile," Obi-Wan snapped. "I would prefer if you stayed to the task at hand."

There was silence between us. Even as the Clones moved around us, I couldn't speak. I just kept my best glare fixed at him.

"Is this really about me?" I asked, hearing my tone become soft and dangerous. "Or is this about Anakin?"

At the look in Obi-Wan's eyes, I knew I'd read his coldness right. He just frowned and stared in another direction, his arms folded tightly to his chest.

"I'm sorry if my being here has somehow broken into this brotherhood between you and Anakin, but let's get one thing straight. It wasn't my choice to be here. You picked up my cross and you are now paying the price. If you want to take it back, just destroy the cross."

"Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind." He didn't want to admit that he had just been thinking about what she brought to the team. There were times when she aggravated him with a simple look. She was just so un-Jedi and he was too Jedi to see through his own facade of acting Jedi to see how human she was.

Again, I couldn't speak.

"It's not as though you truly care about this world or any other world in this universe as it were."

"Not care?" I echoed, feeling the uneasiness build in me. It felt like rage. It felt good to rise up and face him, staring at him with my darkest glare. If only I could hit him! If only I could hurt him as much as his words sometimes hurt me. "If I didn't care, why am I still here?"

"Just because you chose to stay here doesn't mean you care," Obi-Wan countered.

Oh, if only... I felt my temper raging as I faced him down. All I could do was jab at him with nonexistent hands.

"What are you doing?" he asked, bemused.

"I'm trying to hurt you back. You're more efficient with the insults, I get that. If I had my body back, you'd be in a world of hurt right now."

"Why would you want to hurt me?"

"Because you hurt me. I like to hurt back. I won't turn the other cheek just because you're you and I'm... not you. If you're worried about me liking Anakin, at least he's nice to me. He doesn't treat me like I'm something to mock at or laugh at. He treats me like a person, which is more than I can for you!"

Obi-Wan glanced away, sighing heavily as he stepped around my body. "I am sorry."

"If only you would care about stuff like that, then maybe you'd know," I said in a quiet, broken voice. Even as his back was to me and I couldn't see his face, I could feel his emotions through the Force. There was guilt there, but there was uncertainty, too. "You'd know that I'm not a Jedi, I'm not powerful in the Force and I was never meant for this life at all."

"No," Obi-Wan surmised. "I quite imagine you weren't."

There was my opening, my chance to confess my deepest, darkest secret - that I was as close to being a Sith as I was to being a Jedi. I could tell him that I killed demons, not personal ones but the ones that grown men had nightmares about, but I held my tongue. Now was not the time to tell this Jedi that I was a vampire slayer... or that I had been in my previous life.

"If you want me to go, I will," I whispered, turning to stare at his back. I watched his shoulders sag in defeat as he turned to face me.

"No," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head. "Don't go. We have need for your… skills, however infantile they may be." At seeing me roll my eyes, he continued, "You have the ability to use our enemy's weapons against us. If, in the time of need, we need to use your skills, we should."

"Of course you should," I replied. "I'm expendable."

"No," he said, his gaze softening, "you're really not."

At that, he walked away, moving to a Clone at one of the consoles and speaking with him.

I just stood there, shaking my head in wonder. I had been so determined that they not get rid of me. Maybe what I needed was to be gotten rid of. And yet… Obi-Wan's synopsis of what we were facing just sounded so desolate that I couldn't help but feel hopeless, even with the Force surging through me bound with hope. "It's getting worse," I murmured to myself, moving along the wall and out of view, "against all the odds and its getting worse. They're so gonna die."

x-o-x

"I've been waiting for you."

"It's not like you're getting any older."

"Well, if I am not aging, neither are you."

I just rolled my eyes as we walked a path in the desert. The road was old and I was tired and yet my Watcher-wannabe decided that he wanted to become more of a Watcher wannabe. While Obi-Wan and Anakin were planning whatever they were planning on Nepal, I decided to let myself fade away. I wasn't too far, though. I could still hear Obi-Nag's voice in my head, pestering me.

"I will admit he is unfair to you, but you have been untruthful to him, as well."

"Like I want to hide from him," I scoffed. "It's not my fault I can't tell him who I really am."

"You could have been honest with him from the beginning," Qui-Gon said. "You could have—"

"Burst his bubble about Anakin being the one-and-only chosen? No thank you."

"I would have thought that your feelings for Anakin would have led you to tell him the truth."

"People who know about the Slayer tend to die," I retorted. "It's not like they could understand what I'm like. How vampires and demons exist… not just blue-skinned beings with horns, but blue-skinned beings with no souls and a thirst for human flesh." At seeing his wince, I looked away. "I'm sorry I'm so morbid."

"Why apologize for your true nature?"

"My true nature?" I asked, aghast. "I was a Slayer. I killed vampires and demons and hellgods. I didn't pay attention to my emotions. I let them fly away from me. I'm so not the Jedi you're all hoping I am."

Qui-Gon gave me an appraising sort of look as he paused on the walk and stared out toward the horizon. "Maybe you're not the Jedi we all hope you are, but you do have power. You are one with the Force and with that comes a responsibility."

"I did my responsibility," I retorted. "I got them out of that hell-place. I made the plan that got that ship ready for us."

"By doing so, you walk a very thin line between what is right and what is wrong," he replied.

"I was doing the right thing," I snapped. "I helped them out from certain death. There's nothing wrong with that."

"It was amusing too, wasn't it?" he asked in reply. "It's funny how much you enjoyed that trek."

"I didn't enjoy it… much," I added hastily. "But you do have to give the ghostly Force girl props for originality."

Qui-Gon remained silent as he eyed the sky. I became more aware of his serious attitude before I finally decided to ask what was bothering him so much.

"As members of the Living Force, we are obligated to serve those who live," Qui-Gon said in a low voice. "But there comes the time when our service becomes an intervention. At that point, we cease being any better than a Sith when our own ends justify the means."

"And in plain English for the former schoolgirl, that means what?" I asked, staring at his back.

"I know, Buffy, what you feel."

"You can't possibly—"

"Your heart burns with love."

"Heart? I have a heart now? It's not beating. It's not there…"

Qui-Gon frowned despite the desperate tone in my voice. "You can't hide it from us, Buffy. Your heart is there. It burns with love."

"Not for Obi-Wan and… not for Anakin," I said, though it pained me to speak the younger Jedi's name.

"I speak of no man," Qui-Gon replied. "Your heart seeks mortality."

If I would have had breath, it would have caught in my throat. "It'd be nice to have a body again," I said quietly. "It'd be nice to feel something other than empty. I feel cold, detached… lost."

"And you ask why you are here?" Qui-Gon replied, turning back to face me.

"Am I not supposed to be lost?" I asked innocently. "Am I supposed to be happy I'm dead and a friggin' ghost? Because I'm so not happy. I'm… I'm mad. I'm about this close to writing a letter to Yoda and telling him what I think of his so-called retreat skills. Do you know what he said to me? He said that love would lead me to my gift. If a Jedi means that I can't love… what sort of Jedi can I be?"

"You're not truly a Jedi, are you?" he replied.

"Not in the real sense, no."

"Maybe there's hope for you yet."

I just stared at him as he walked away. I wasn't sure what to say. It sounded like too many unknowns for me. When that was the face, my first instinct would be to run to Giles.

Until I would then remember he was no longer there. And I felt even more alone.

x-o-x

It was dark and she could sense the danger all around her, but she kept moving forward. It seemed like the Jedi temple, but it was different somehow. Everything seemed so distant, so untouchable, as though it didn't belong to the Jedi anymore.

And then she saw the body on the floor.

"No," she moaned, moving to the body. It was only a Youngling, someone far too young to bear the mark of… of…

She sat up, clearly distressed as her hand passed over the wound. The Youngling had been killed by a lightsaber. But why would any Jedi want to kill their own kind? Who would be so sick…?

There was a scream. Getting to her feet, she moved through the corridors which blended together like a dream. When the corridors opened to a room, she found herself gazing at something far more disturbing than a dead Youngling.

A single figure with a bright lightsaber stood, fighting off two Jedi. One Jedi was being choked by the Force-grip hold the figure with his back to her held against them. The other was fighting boldly with a lightsaber. The first Jedi choked and fell to the ground, their body lolling until it at last lay still. The other figure was easily cut down.

She couldn't breathe. Even as she stood there, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't move, couldn't react, couldn't even scream…

The figure turned to her. The face of the man was a familiar one, but his once-cerulean eyes were now a demonic shade of amber. The man's eyes widened as he stood there, lifting his lightsaber. For a moment, time stood still…

Anakin Skywalker stared in disbelief at the figure standing in front of him. She was smaller than most women he knew. Her hazel eyes stared at him in shock. She was stunning, he realized as his lightsaber fell away. The glorious thrill of the kill seemed to fade as he took a step towards her. Her eyes met his and he saw the fear in them.

_What are you?_

His hand slowly reached up to touch her face, but she stepped away. His fingers caught her golden hair as he moved his lightsaber to her neck. Her eyes dared him to strike her down, to kill her without a word.

He felt the rage building within him. The voice inside his head spoke to kill her, to mutilate her, to take pleasure in her death… because that was what Darth Vader would do.

"You did it," the woman whispered in a voice so familiar it chilled him to the bone. "You killed me."

x-o-x

Far on the planet of Nevlaan, deep in the caverns asleep from a Force-guided rest, Anakin sat up, gasping and clutching his chest. When he grew aware of his surroundings, he closed his eyes. The figure in his mind was so familiar to him. His fist closed on his chest as he struggled to remember why he was in this cave in the first place. His first thought was that the Force was teasing him with something.

I came to my senses suddenly, finding the desert a quiet vista at night. "What was that?" I breathed.

"Did you hear something?" Qui-Gon asked. It sounded as though he were behind me.

"I saw something. I think I saw the future, but I don't know."

"What did you see?" he asked me. His voice sounded closer now.

"It was Anakin. He was…" My throat suddenly closed up. "He was… evil."

"Is that what you saw?"

"I didn't know I could see the future," I stammered. "I… he was killing… killing Jedi. He tried to kill me."

"But you have no body."

"I think it was metaphorical," I replied, coming to my senses. "It was terrifying. I've never been so afraid to face him."

"Are you all right?"

I glanced down at my fists which were suddenly clenched. "I'll be okay. I just need…" I suddenly felt something else, a great pulling. I felt my hand reaching out to touch the air in the distance. "He…"

"He's calling you to him."

"Yes," I murmured, glancing at Qui-Gon. "But I don't… I can't…"

"You can't let him know what you saw."

"But I was there in his dream. I was there. He saw me. He tried to kill me."

"Nevertheless, you must hold your silence. If this was some vision given to him, he will remember."

"But he has never seen my real face. In that… vision… I was corporeal. I had a body. I had _my _body."

I felt Qui-Gon's hand on my back, a comforting gesture as I was still shaken up. "You must maintain silence."

"Do I have to go?"

"You are, essentially, an instrument of the Force. If he is reaching for you, it must mean something…"

"Qui-Gon," I said, turning to the elder Jedi. "What if… what if this vision does come true and he does turn into this… this Dark Jedi… what happens then? Will he be killed?"

"You said he was killing Jedi. Were any standing?"

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "He was alone."

"You have no physical form… he cannot hurt you."

"Oh yes," I sighed sadly, "he can hurt me all he wants."

In that moment, I felt my body travel through darkness and light before I found myself facing a single figure.

Anakin.

He glanced at me and took a step away. It was then I noticed a bunch of soda pop cans with legs standing around him, all armed to the teeth. There were droids in the area too.

"Uh, Anakin?" I asked curiously, looking around.

"When I asked for help from the Force, I didn't mean you."

"But you had my calling card," I replied sarcastically. "Would you like some help?"

"I would like you to stop distracting me," he mumbled, glancing around. "Right now, I look like I'm talking to myself."

"It's not just you," I replied sweetly. He rolled his eyes at me as he glanced around. "What are these?"

"The bad guys."

"You don't say," I replied, glancing for an exit. I thought about pushing my power through, hitching a ride in one of the mobile pop cans and taking out the rest of the pack but somehow watching Anakin sweat his way through this scenario was more comforting.

_Crash._

"What the hell?" I murmured, peering over Anakin's shoulder. My eyes widened in fright as a sudden figure roared. Anakin's look turned from uneasiness to a quiet look of victory, a slight sneer curving those beautiful lips. There was another crash. And another.

"Are you with me?"

I glanced at the back of his head. _Don't kill me. _"I'm not against you," I whispered.

I watched in horror as groups of figures moved forward. They were glowing, fluorescent copies of King Kong with more canine features. Their arms were modified blasters, all which cocked and aimed directly at the young Jedi Knight.

"Okay, don't panic," I said, glancing around.

"Do you want to do your mojo now?" he asked weakly.

"I… I can't," I said, moving behind him. "I'm a little scared."

"You… scared? I thought you couldn't get scared."

"You don't know me well enough," I replied. "But if you need the Force, take it from me."

Anakin nodded slightly and stepped forward. His voice beckoned to the mutants who kept their weapons trained on him. His words seemed to enrage the beings further and soon he was using the Force to push them away. Mutants were flopping over themselves and the Techno droids. They crashed into the remnants of their tubes and restraints. Anakin worked desperately to fight them down while the droids were firing at them. But he never once lifted his lightsaber against the mutants.

There was a sudden crash and a roar. A figure stomped across the lab, smashing the glass tubes and sweeping droids aside as he stormed towards the other mutants, who faced the sole one, growling. The mutant reached forward, snatched one of the metal plates on the chest of the mutant, and ripped it cleanly off.

"Son of a—" I whispered.

Anakin smiled grimly, activated his lightsaber and jumped in. He used his lightsaber to hack off the metal plates as the mutants stopped their attack and paused. When I could finally move again, I crept up to Anakin. "What the hell is going on?"

"Do you remember me telling you the warriors from Nelvaan were missing? They're… these."

"They turned them into their own private Adams?" I gasped in horror. "Oh, they so deserve what's coming to them."

"I have a feeling we have nothing to worry about," Anakin said, smirking as the mutants all roared as one – a sound that made the hair on the back of my neck lift – and charged forward. It was a beautiful sight, watching the mutants charge through the lab, tearing droids apart with their hands. It was far more beautiful than I could describe, even as I was telling Obi-Wan later.

"I guess I had to be there," Obi-Wan said sardonically, watching as Anakin tended to his mechanical arm. "Will you be all right?"

"I will be," Anakin said, gritting his teeth as he played with the deadened limb. "But the control crystal had to go to free the Nelvaan warriors."

"You were really brave," I said to him. He noticed my look and smiled at me. Despite the dark thoughts I had surrounding Anakin, I smiled back.

"General Obi-Wan… Commander Skywalker, we have news from Coruscant," Commander Cody said, appearing suddenly cradling his helmet at his side. Obi-Wan rose up as Anakin glanced up, a short flickering in his wrist.

"It seems like when you were gone, Count Dooku made his presence known in the fleet," Obi-Wan said to Anakin.

"I almost had him, too," Anakin ground out, flinging his useless wrist away in frustration.

I just sat there, listening to them talk.

"Skywalker… there's a message for you. It's from Coruscant."

Anakin glanced at me before rising and moving to take the call. I could see by the light reflecting his face and his emotions that the call was anything but good news.

"I couldn't sense you before."

"I was here," I told Obi-Wan, glancing up at him. "I was just…"

"It's just when you're around, I feel you," Obi-Wan replied, folding his arms and staring out the view port as to better shield the conversation with me. "I can sense your presence as well as I can sense my own."

I glanced at Anakin, who hadn't yet revealed his dream. Perhaps he was keeping it quiet for a reason. Whatever the reason, it reminded me of Faith's cry for help and the fact was, I had let her down. I hadn't done everything I could. I let her be a coward and it destroyed her.

"I was here," I whispered.

Anakin suddenly appeared again, his face grave. His eyes were on Obi-Wan, who stroked his goatee in concern. "What is it?"

"I just received a message from Palpatine himself," Anakin said in a low, urgent voice. "Coruscant is under attack. He had the Senators from all of the outlying worlds in for his address and—"

"Oh, my God," I whispered, realizing where he was going with this.

When Anakin suddenly looked at me, he saw a shadow from his dream. I felt the flutter in the force and met his gaze.

"Is it bad?"

"Most of the Coruscant-bound Jedi are doing what they can, but the damage is bad. They destroyed most of Home Fleet before they had a chance to get their shields up. Every ship is being sent to aid the capital."

"Should we not also go?" I asked.

"We will," Obi-Wan replied. "Have them refuel our starfighters. Add the ordinances." He turned to look at Anakin. "We're going hunting." His eyes drifted to me. "Care to join us?"

"You know I love a good battle," I replied.

"Excellent. Meet us in the flight deck when the ships are prepared. Cody?" Obi-Wan said, disappearing to where Commander Cody was speaking with his clones.

Realizing I was left alone with Anakin, I was well aware that he was staring at me. "Stop that," I said, looking away.

"I…" Words seemed to fail him, but I could suddenly feel what he was about to say. Before he could speak, I held out my hand.

"Look, if you survive, we'll deal then, okay? Let's get you to Coruscant so that you and Obi-Wan can have another rousing victory against the independent systems."

Anakin's smile was weary as he looked at his feet. "But—"

"No buts," I said, shaking my head. "It's time to fight, you know? Strong is fighting. I need you to be strong."

"I may need you…" he said, and then corrected himself, "the Force. I may need the Force."

"Well you have the Force," I said as he disappeared. As an afterthought, I added, "and me…"

x-o-x

In the next chapter, the battle of Coruscant begins.


	15. Feel Me Feeling You

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Feel Me Feeling You

**Summary: ** As the attack on Coruscant reaches a crescendo, the infamous Jedi duo with their ghostly escort enter the fray to save the trapped Chancellor…

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **I knew I wasn't going to abandon this story to ruin, but I had my doubts about ever giving it a real plot. Once you reach the end of this chapter, you might happen to sense a real plot. I'm actually happy to say the rest of this story is planned out. But as I'm not in a time conflict like I am with my other fics… good stories come to those who wait and good chapters come to those who read.

x-o-x

**Feel Me Feeling You**

The air was quite tense as Obi-Wan and Anakin stood around, waiting for word that their shuttles were ready to enter flight again. I just hovered in the background, generally feeling useless. It seemed like the more time ticked by, the terser things seemed to get.

The reports coming in on communications were grim. The attack was swift, taking out Coruscant's meager defenses in a matter of minutes. I winced at hearing this; all of their careful preparations had fallen by the wayside. My sense of duty seemed to kick into overdrive at seeing the hopeless expressions on their faces. So many clones had died and, with them, Jedi.

Even in the back of my mind, I could feel them. Every time one died, it hurt me. I tried to hold it to myself, but somehow they knew. They always seemed to know.

"Buffy?" Obi-Wan asked, dropping back to where I stood by the small strip of metal separating us from the vacuum of space. "What is it?"

"They're drying," I gasped out. "I can feel them. They're…" Had I been able to close my eyes, I would have if only to shut out the images. "It's metallic and it's cutting through them like they're butter. Oh, God…"

"Master?" Anakin asked, coming up to us, concern in his eyes.

"I'll be okay," I managed to choke out.

"She can feel them when they die," Obi-Wan told Anakin softly as to not rouse the attention of the others.

Anakin's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at me. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"How many…"

"Three, four, maybe more," I replied. Fixing both Jedi with my gaze, I added, "It's about to get much worse."

"Hold on," Obi-Wan said, adding what he hoped was a comforting smile. "We will be able to aid soon enough."

I nodded my understanding as both Jedi moved back. I could see that they both had enough on their minds without having to worry about my sensitivity's play-by-play. It wasn't their fault that I could feel everything happening with the Jedi – including their brutal deaths.

"It seems to me she talks of General Grievous," Anakin said, leaning towards Obi-Wan out of earshot of the pearly figure standing near the viewport staring at the floor.

"It does," Obi-Wan agreed. He sent a frown towards the young woman. "It affects her greatly."

"The way I see it," Anakin continued, "she has the ability to sense all Jedi. It isn't just us."

"If we could only be so selfish," Obi-Wan deadpanned. "She may be the most important asset in achieving victory with minimal cost of life."

Anakin nodded. "Perhaps we should use her skills to our advantage."

"We will," Obi-Wan assured him. "But we will not tell her of our plans until we have one."

"It looks like we don't have to wait for long," Anakin replied, watching as Commander Cody approached them.

"General, Commander, your shuttles are ready. You may proceed when ready."

"Thank you Cody," Obi-Wan said, bowing his head respectively. Anakin followed the motion as they both made their way to the flight deck. Moments later, the girl joined them.

As the ship flew through hyperspace, the Jedi prepared for their space flight. I watched as they readied the Droids, staring out over the cluttered bay. I kept waiting for the next pang, the next thought that would tell me another one of the Jedi had fallen.

It didn't come.

"Buffy?"

I slowly turned to face Obi-Wan. "Yes?"

"We're ready. Please…" He held out his arm, gesturing to the shuttle. This was his meaning: get onboard. Get ready for the next adventure. This was one hell of an adventure I'd gotten myself into.

Without preamble, I boarded the ship, getting myself nice and settled behind the pilot's seat. Obi-Wan settled himself in a moment later and we waited for the order to push out. I assumed that we would be stopping a fair distance from the fight to give Anakin and Obi-Wan enough time to get their ships out. Obi-Wan confirmed this.

One of the Clone lieutenants cut across the communications, patching through a line from the planet. As I sat in my own thoughts, I heard the disturbing reports of uncontrollable fires throughout Coruscant where the Separatist ships had ploughed into them. But more disturbing than that were the unconfirmed reports that the Chancellor's yearly address had been disrupted and that hundreds inside the Senate chambers were thought dead.

Anakin's hands tightened on the controls at that, his eyes darkening at the thought. Obi-Wan remained calm, stroking his beard as his mind allowed the words to sink in. I remained quiet behind him as frantic shouts and frenzied reports were thrown out over the speakers.

"How long does it take to get close enough?" I asked.

"Too long," Obi-Wan replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"You might be able to sit here and do nothing, but I shouldn't have to."

Obi-Wan glanced up. "The choice is yours."

"Tell me that you need me," I replied, hating the uncertainty in my voice.

"We both need you," Obi-Wan replied. Though I was staring at the back of his head, I saw his shoulders tense. "You have skills that we do not yet possess."

"Because I'm a ghost, right?"

"It may have something to do with your incorporeal state, yes."

"And also because I'm a ghost," I replied, adding a pout in despite the fact I knew he couldn't see. But I could sense the slight smile at my childish behavior as he pieced together how much I reminded him of the way Anakin used to be.

Before he could say anything, however, a voice came over the line. "General Kenobi, we are within range. You may take off when ready."

Obi-Wan gave a firm nod and moved to start the engines. I could feel the slight hum vibrating through just the sensation. Though without a body, it amazed me how close I seemed to the ship and to its occupant. R4 twittered outside, eager to begin yet another flight out into space.

"I want you to hold on this time," Obi-Wan shouted over the sound of the engines as he fit his headset on, bringing the mouthpiece towards his chin. I heard the orders Anakin was giving to the other Clones in the ships traveling with our own.

"I want the full squadron deployed," Obi-Wan continued, talking over Anakin's orders. I heard Anakin clamp up and, with a smile, realized he was probably pouting at Obi-Wan bossily cutting in. It was something the elder Jedi was almost famous for. "The other ships are in position?" The affirmative was given over the line. Obi-Wan, looking satisfied, turned back to his controls. "May the Force be with us."

"It is," I said ironically.

This time, he gave the barest hint of a grin as the landing bay depressurized, giving us ample time to fly out from dock. Anakin's ship followed.

Though the ships were still quite the distance from Coruscant, they remained only long enough for Obi-Wan and Anakin to pause before continuing on at a greater speed. Hyperspeed or something. Or was it warp speed? I really didn't know this sort of talk.

"Hang on."

This time, I used my concentration to hold myself with the ship. I felt the strangest sense of fear and yet I felt lighter than I had. Somehow, things were going to turn out okay.

"Master," Anakin's voice sounded almost tinny over the line, "I have received word that the Chancellor has been taken by General Grievous and Count Dooku himself."

"Then that is what we must concentrate on first," Obi-Wan decided. A moment later, he added, "The Council's orders are to stop Dooku at all costs. Do you understand?"

There was a beat and then, "I understand." In his cockpit, Anakin was still uncertain as to the fate of the one he loved. Padmé meant the world to him. To lose her now because of his inability to be there when she needed him the most would destroy him.

In no time at all it seemed we were darting in and out of a fleet of larger ships. An entire fleet exploded from a bright blue light, their missiles already firing towards the Independent Systems' ships. Their hulls seemed to glow as they exploded outwards, sending bits of flying debris and metal into space. The sky seemed crowded and dense with the larger ships. And yet two smaller ships seemed to pass through as though it were as simple as an evening stroll.

"Try and get a read on the shuttle that was seen leaving the surface of Coruscant," Obi-Wan relayed to Anakin. To me, he added, "If you sense anything, please let me know."

"Don't worry," I replied. "You'll be the first to."

Satisfied, he turned back to his controls, chirping orders to his droid. Outside, I admired the beauty of each orange blast, watching as they ripped into the exterior hull of each ship. Each was the size of a small town, easily arming hundreds if not thousands of droids or clones.

I never realized just how big this was.

The ship suddenly jerked and dropped sharply to the left. I hid my surprise by keeping my mind on the ship. I had no sense, but the vertigo was there nearly spinning me around. "What the hell…?"

"We're under antiaircraft fire," Obi-Wan replied, his voice suddenly low and tense. He was experiencing what I would call being in the zone. His mind was utterly and completely focused on making it through the narrow space between missiles and pops and tiny little star-fighters alive.

"No droid can outfly you, Master." Anakin sounded amused, his movements almost lazy as they swished around behind the lead ship.

"You just pay attention," Obi-Wan snarled back as Anakin laughed. "Don't forget to—" The small ship suddenly shook with the impact of a turbolaser blast across their port side. "Damn it."

I didn't hear Anakin's reply over the sound of the alarms as the ship pitched into another drive and shifted to a steep port-side angle in order to shake its way through. I then saw the problem dangling in front of us. It was another small ship, one I didn't quite recognize.

"Where is our backup?" Obi-Wan sounded angry now. I held my tongue and pushed my way through the force, trying to sense anything. But there was something else I was beginning to see.

This was the time I would find out what it was truly like to be a Jedi.

"Master, there's one on you."

"Get him off of me," Obi-Wan replied back. "Can you do anything?"

I turned back, glancing at Obi-Wan's head incredulously. "Me?'

"You're the thoughtful one."

"I don't want to die."

"You're already dead!"

I blinked and turned my head, glancing at the complicated wires and panels. Tri-fighters were emerging closer, their lasers lighting up the sky, sending the ship into another flat swirl that would have left the real me nauseous. Obi-Wan's onboard threat display chimed yet another warning. Two of the droids had remote sensor lock on him. His hands tightened on the controls as he barked the warning to Anakin, who came up with the response a half-second later. The two ships spiraled around, two perfect mirroring rolls that streaked towards one another, head-on, on opposite sides of a large Republic cruiser.

"Are you insane?" I screamed as I clung to the only thing I had left – my mind. This plan was suicidal.

"You weren't giving me any other options!"

"Give me a minute!" I shouted back, shaking my head and looking around. What did I know about space ships? A whole load of nothing. Screw them both for putting me in this position in the first place!

And yet… my anxiety tightened my body, but I could feel my mind stretch out. Just take the wheel, a voice spoke in my ear. If I take the wheel, everyone will be alright.

The Force took the hands and gave the wheel the right turn it needed to send both spiraling ships past the other with shocking proximity. The tri-fighters that had been locked onto Obi-Wan's shuttle came out of the spin without the gift of the Force and collided with the ships that had been pursuing Anakin's shuttle. I left out a triumphant sigh and rested back, feeling as though I had at least accomplished something.

Obi-Wan bowed his head to glance at the onboard display. "We're not done yet."

"I never said we were."

"We've got another three on us."

"They're on your tail, Master." Anakin's voice held a grim sound over the speakers that sounded an awful lot like satisfaction. "That's perfect."

"Perfect?" Obi-Wan asked wanly. "That is _not _the word I would use. We have to split them up."

Anakin glanced at his own display, his mind working through dozens of tactical scenarios until he settled on one. "Break left. I'll get them both."

"That's just perfect." Obi-Wan's voice dripped with sarcasm as he performed the movement. The ship arched beneath one of the Trade Federation's larger ships, executing another perfect roll. As the tri-fighters closed in for the kill, Anakin angled his ship behind them, giving the orders to Artoo to fire.

"Move right to clear my shot… _now._"

Obi-Wan executed the move flawlessly, letting the Force guide his hand through another half-roll as the ship broke right. The three tri-fighters, not knowing what movement would come next, were easy targets for Anakin's lasers. Two were soon nothing more than debris scattered throughout as both ships ducked underneath a Republic ship that seemed to glow from within the damage was so extensive.

"Nice shot," Obi-Wan said appreciatively, his eyes already on his next target: the Republic ship that seemed to be aflame was being shot at from the opposite side. The Trade Federation battleship seemed as damaged as the Republic ship. Some of the flashing blasts exchanged between ships in short bursts were as large as the shuttle.

The third tri-fighter was still on his tail. After slipping between each blast, Obi-Wan took another sharp dive, but the fighter didn't change course. The droid seemed to have realized that Anakin wouldn't fire without hitting Obi-Wan.

Realizing this, I knew I had to do something. It was as though the Force was speaking through me. I reached my hand through the panel, feeling the twist of wires and couplings from just a mental image of what my hand passed through. The engines controls were in Arfour's hands, but I knew I could connect with the droid from my safe spot stuck behind the cockpit.

Arfour seemed to respond with blatant enthusiasm. Obi-Wan suddenly felt the old structure of his ship buckle as the engines seemed to suddenly thrust in reverse. The shuttle came to an abrupt stop, rolling backwards end-over-end. The tri-fighter and Anakin's starfighter rolled past him. Anakin then used Artoo to shoot down the remaining tri-fighter as Obi-Wan's ship righted itself and the engines came back full-blast.

Before I could even comment, my eyes were suddenly drawn to a point in the distance, hidden by ships and the scarlet streaks of fire. It seemed so close, but in my mind I could feel it withdrawing. Obi-Wan's gaze was drawn to it, too.

"I see it, Master," Anakin said over the speakers, already in tune for what his Master was thinking. Obi-Wan watched as Anakin's ship dropped lower to escape a smaller Republic ship – or what was left of it – spiraling through the deadness of space. The engines kicked in as he brought the starfighter to the deck of the old carrier, moving along its side until it streaked out between cannon fire. Turboblasts seemed to set the ship in light as Obi-Wan's craft followed closely behind Anakin's.

"Five more from above," Obi-Wan said, listening to the chime and reading his tactical read-out. "This doesn't look good."

"We got an entire squadron heading in," Anakin's voice was grim. "Where is our air support?"

"This is Oddball," a voice suddenly cut in through the speakers. "General Kenobi, we have your back."

Obi-Wan seemed to relax slightly as he noticed the incoming starcraft bore the same signatures as their tiny ships. He maneuvered his ship around the incoming craft, somewhat disappointed he wasn't able to see the battle. The tri-fighters soon turned their sights onto the few dozen starcraft headed towards them, their antiaircraft fire already alight.

The command cruiser was drawing closer. Both our ship and Anakin's were struggling to make it through the heavy thicket of fire. Moments later, it seemed Anakin's ship pulled away. "I need to go back and help them."

"No, Anakin," Obi-Wan shouted back as the ship again rocked with the flack of gunfire shot across the back. "Oddball is doing his job in order that we can do ours. We hold position."

"Right." Anakin's voice was cold as he struggled to keep his hands on his controls. "We hold position." At Artoo's beeped insolence, he just barked out, "They're my orders. I have no right to disobey them." No matter how much he wanted to.

They were within a ship's length from the incoming cruiser when two tri-fighters suddenly streaked between them. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, rolling to the left. I quickly used whatever Force guidance I could give him as the ship managed to right itself but with a new problem. Alarms were blaring in my ears as Obi-Wan said something about missiles.

Right. These missiles were two silver streaks spiraling in and out as they tracked for the shuttle. I could actually feel Obi-Wan's hesitation and could already sense the loss of yet another Jedi…

"No," I whispered. I was not going to allow this to happen. I gave my sense to the other Jedi, hoping he would be able to come through.

Anakin luckily had one anti-missile dart left. As he streaked over the sudden stillness that was Obi-Wan's shuttle, he released the dart, watching with satisfaction as it blasted through one of the missiles and sent the other off-course. Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief as he lifted his shuttle to pass through a debris field. "Thanks, Anakin."

The debris field seemed to be glowing silver baubles that floated around larger strips of metal. But once the starfighter tracked through them, they seemed to suddenly gain a new focus and followed the starfighter from the shrapnel.

"I think we're being followed," I said uncertainly, attempting to see from the back. "Yep. Definitely being followed."

"There's nothing I can do about that now," Obi-Wan retorted. His own irritation escalated as he felt the silver objects collide with the hull. His concern started to rise when he heard the annoying sounds of metallic whirring as the silver bits of debris started cutting into his hull. "I'm hit."

"Buzz droids," Anakin replied over the speakers, moving his head back and forth through his cockpit in order to get a more accurate count. "I see five."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about that now, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, his voice rising in his frustration. A shower of sparks flashed over his head and his hands pounded on the controls. "Get to the command ship and get the Chancellor."

"I'm not leaving you, Master!"

"Anakin, you have your orders. Leave me and _go._"

Anakin's voice sounded different a moment later, appealing to the one that rode with Obi-Wan in his shuttle. "Buffy, I know you can hear me."

"I hear you," I echoed. I could hear Arfour twittering outside anxiously as one of the buzz droids was suddenly tampering with him. Another one was directly over my head, playing with the hydraulic chamber. Two more were on the left wing damaged from one of the firefights. "You can't help us. You need to get out of here."

Obi-Wan had still managed to remain calm as he added, "They're shutting down the controls."

"Oh, no…"

Obi-Wan heard my voice before he registered what was happening. Before he could ask, there was a sudden jolt as Anakin fired across the left wing, sending two molten bits of buzz droid out into space. At his meek little "Whoops" I realized that more likely than not, we were going to die. Or at least Obi-Wan was.

"Anakin, you're not helping," Obi-Wan said, closing his eyes as he struggled to remain calm. Already vapors from space were fogging the main screen. Everything in front of Obi-Wan's face was white mist. As the ship jarred again, Obi-Wan threw out, "Wait!"

"Just hold it steady," Anakin said, deeply concentrating on the matter at hand as the tip of his left wing gently nudged the right wing of Obi-Wan's starfighter. "I almost have it…"

A bit of deck plating spiraled off into the void as the buzz droid eagerly set to disrupting the last few systems that hadn't been addled with the attack. "Blast," Obi-Wan said, moving his head back and forth as he tried to move the controls. He was getting little response from the engines. "Arfour!"

All he heard was a little squeal as the tumbling head of his unit's droid went flying past the view port and out into space.

"Oh, dear."

Anakin soon saw another problem. One of the buzz droids had leapt from the hydraulic system on Obi-Wan's fighter and soon scuttled along his wing, its sights set on Artoo. The other droid had a bit more fight in him though and Anakin switched his attention to Obi-Wan. He could tell that the thrusters had been damaged more than adequately.

"Can't you do anything about the thrusters?"

"I'm trying," I snapped by means of reply. "But unfortunately Starfighter Engineering 101 was left off the course manual at Living Force University. I'm flying blind by this."

"You're not wrong." He stared out at the white vapor still seeping through the nose, clouding his visuals and giving him more of a headache. "My controls are gone."

"I can't do anything about that. I'm just trying to give us something to propel us towards that… whatever we're headed towards."

"The ship?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. "You're trying to give us—"

The cockpit suddenly rang like a gong and the ship jostled forward, throwing Obi-Wan over his controls and, for once, unsettling the calm exterior. "Are you mad?"

"That wasn't me!"

"I just had to give you a little push," Anakin said cheerfully over the speakers. "You can't steer so I'm taking the controls manually. Buffy, if you can give me any help on speed…"

"Uh huh." Okay, so I'm no whiz kid, but placing my faith into Anakin's hands seemed about the only option I had left. So I did it. I managed to find the thruster panel and quickly cut power. Unfortunately, my little stunt also drained power to the entire ship.

"What's this?"

"Sorry!" I wailed as I attempted to reattach the control panel and give the ship more speed. I knew without it we would basically sail and smash into the command ship without so much as surviving first. I reached through with the Force again to give just enough power to the sub-light thrusters in order to get us inside.

But Obi-Wan had seen a bigger problem. "Anakin, the shield is still up."

"Really?'

"Really," we both replied in unison. I could already feel the ship starting to come apart. Already the overtaxed metal was breaking free as the enormous force of space was ripping the damaged ship to shreds.

"Oh. Well, I can fix that."

I reached through the Force to aid him the best I could, but the rest of my Force-ready self was ensuring that Obi-Wan didn't die by exploding into shards of human bits. My silent prayers worked. The shield was down and the hangar bay doors nearly exploded open. I could feel the force of Anakin's thoughts as they melded with my own. Obviously I was not the only one who could push through the connection. That was something to keep in mind for future references.

As the ship completely fell apart, I lent what I could to Obi-Wan. The moment the shuttle landed without any sort of landing gear whatever, it sent a shower of sparks and a hiss of smoke venting into space as the doors snapped shut. The top hatch opened and with a blast of light he leapt from the small space and landed on two feet, a bright blur of his blue lightsaber flashing beside him.

Anakin managed to land his shuttle with more grace before exiting in much the same manner. Artoo ambled along, beeping nonchalantly as it took in the threatening scene of more than two dozen super battle droids and the alarm raising to bring back-up.

I moved from my spot within the wreckage and joined the Jedi, unseen to all but them. But, just when I thought the odds couldn't get any worse…

… I felt _him. _

x-o-o-x


	16. The Girl Likes Violence

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **The Girl Likes Violence

**Summary: ** The infamous Jedi duo with their ghostly escort enter the fray to save the trapped Chancellor…

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **Ooh, lookie here, another chapter. Again, these are not beta-read. This story was written for my beta. So any mistakes, misspells and missed punctuation are my mistake and mine alone. This chapter contains elements from the film (mostly dialogue) and from the novel by Matthew Stover.

x-o-x

**The Girl Likes Violence**

I moved from my spot within the wreckage and joined the Jedi, unseen to all but them. But, just when I thought the odds couldn't get any worse…

… I felt _him. _

"Wicked power," I hissed under my breath, unaware that both Jedi were sizing up the advancing enemy and were paying little attention to my babbling. "It's so strong."

"I'll take them on the left," Anakin said, his mind focused on the task at hand. The lightsaber ignited, the bright blade casting a deadly light on the battle droids now running at them, their blasters arming.

"I have the right," Obi-Wan nodded firmly, feeling the Force flow through him as his wrists snapped up, the lightsaber a perfect line from the top of his head to his torso.

"I'll take the middle."

Two heads glanced at one another before peering back at the transparent form hovering behind them. "What?" I asked innocently. "I like violence, too."

"The girl likes violence, Master," Anakin said, barely able to contain his laughter. Obi-Wan's eyes held only a warning as he turned back to the fray.

"Then let us take care of it."

The two Jedi sprang forward, their lightsabers singing as they melted through battle droids. Artoo Detoo basically whirled around in a circle before finding his way over to one of the computer consoles and plugging himself in, likely on Anakin's orders to find the Chancellor. I just took the middle route, humming to myself as I swung through the dead droid parts. Finding one to play with wasn't hard, but my thoughts were elsewhere. While the two Jedi were cleaning up the remaining super battle droids, I used my feminine wiles to charm the computers into shutting the doors to the bay save one and securing them to prevent further incursions.

"Done," I said playfully, watching as Anakin used his hand and a push of the Force to knock down the last set of droids. "You didn't save me one?"

"Well…" Anakin glanced at the steaming pile of metal surrounding them. "There's always Artoo."

My eyes flickered towards the droid now beeping out something to the tune that he'd found where the Chancellor was being held.

"Uh-huh. How about not?"

"Come on, you two. We don't have time for this."

Anakin snapped off his lightsaber and followed his Master into the corridor through the only door that remained open. It seemed only a matter of time before the droids realized there was one entrance left into the landing bay. But they weren't going to give that chance.

Anakin quickly sorted through the gibberish Artoo gave him before starting at the console image that the droid held. "He's up here, in the tower. The only way up is through this elevator here."

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," I murmured, before checking another console.

"What is she talking about now?" Obi-Wan asked. His back was turned as he secured the door we had just come from.

"It's a fairy tale," I muttered vaguely, not wanting to get into it any further. My senses were tingling about something else. "When I was in there, I felt him. Now that I'm out here, it's worse."

"Who, Buffy?" Obi-Wan asked me.

"I don't know. It's Jedi and it's strong."

"It's Dooku," Anakin said, his voice deceptively calm. His eyes moved to his golden arm hidden underneath layers of black leather. His next words were cut off as a blast landed next to him, striking the wall.

"Time to go," Obi-Wan said, glancing down the corridor away from the approaching droids.

"Artoo, stay here and stay out of trouble," Anakin shouted back to the droid who calmly opened himself a door and rolled into it. He paused long enough to catch the communicator Obi-Wan threw at him. Then Anakin and Obi-Wan ran while I stayed behind, the blaster fire moving harmlessly though my shapeless physique. "What are you doing?" Anakin shouted at me.

"I'm buying you the time," I replied, glancing over my shoulder at him. "Don't worry. Get the Chancellor and keep him safe."

"Are you—?"

I didn't really understand this myself. But I _knew _that just by acting the way I was about to… it was going to damage me. How I understood this, I didn't know. I just knew that my boundaries were slowly becoming more defined… and that I was soon not going to be able to do this without seriously damaging my body-less self anymore.

"I can't die, but you can," I retorted, watching Anakin retreat backwards, Obi-Wan's hand on his arm. "Now go. Be the hero."

"Be safe."

"Right," I muttered, turning back. "That's—" A sudden metallic arm swung through me. Another foot stomped through my leg and continued on. "Fabulous," I finished with a sigh. This was just what I needed. At the rear, another droid was moving. This was the one I wanted, I decided. So I took up residence, overthrew his programming and then set about to have myself a little violent fun.

Anakin and Obi-Wan heard the blaster fire at the same time they felt it through the Force. At Anakin's wince, Obi-Wan said softly, "You have to admit she enjoys the certain aspect of that."

"But this is the first time I felt it," Anakin murmured. "We haven't done that before."

They were then greeted by the sounds of silence.

"We should see to the Chancellor," Obi-Wan said, regret evident in his tone.

"Yes, we should," Anakin replied. Though he would have longed to see one of the droids attack its own squadron, the Chancellor meant more to him than anyone. Well, almost anyone. He was the absentee father figure that Obi-Wan couldn't be, as Obi-Wan treated him as a child. The Chancellor had seen him as an equal. Padmé was more than the most important person in this world. He would do anything for her.

Well, he thought as he darted off after the elder Jedi towards the elevator shaft at the opposite end, he would do almost anything for her.

x-o-x

I cleared my throat triumphantly as I stared at the poor droid whose life I forfeited just to save Jedi ass. It was a good feeling stepping out of the fray, but it was disturbing too. The Force linked me to all living things, or so said Master Jinn. The fact I was _feeling _the dead droid was just… odd.

What was happening to me?

_Buffy…_

At once, I felt Qui-Gon's comforting presence. I allowed it to soothe my jangled nerves, my focus slowly bending back to the task at hand.

_You knew the risks when you chose your actions. Now you are beginning to see how deeply they affect you. Even those that possess no conscious thought still possess the means by which they are controlled._

Right, I thought to myself. They are controlled from a central station. One computer chip to rule them all.

_Funny._

I pouted, making sure he saw my face before I felt my concentration returning. In my heart, I could feel the Jedi moving closer to the Tower. Every footstep echoed like a heartbeat. Every breath echoed like the tick of a clock. Both were solely focused on saving the Chancellor.

_You can do this._

"I know," I whispered, sending him silent thanks for being there. Though I watched out for my Jedi, it was consoling to know that someone was watching out for me. As a Slayer, I never had that luxury. Even with Giles I was always the top, always the General, always forced to make the difficult decisions. Such as the one that led to my death in the first place.

Getting my senses back, I chose to move through the walls. Allowing gravity to take a hike for a moment wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it allowed me to sail through the deck plates with efficient ease.

I reached the shaft at the same time the Jedi were about to enter it. It was Anakin who noticed the look on my face first. "Is it done?"

"I got it done," I replied blandly.

The doors parted open.

"Here we go," Obi-Wan said in a low voice as he and Anakin stepped over the threshold. No sooner had the doors closed when the click of an activating droid weapon sound behind them. The Jedi exchanged a grim look before turning upon the droids. Within seconds they were nothing more than scattered bits of metal. The doors opened again as both Jedi pushed out the riffraff before the shaft door closed and the elevator powered up. The elevator began to move upwards at an alarming speed. The lights on the console lit up one after the other. But suddenly the light stopped, the cage froze and both Jedi pitched forward.

Anakin was the first to recover, glancing around the cage. Obi-Wan looked more shaken as he pushed himself to his feet. I could feel his irritation for my standing there and feeling nothing, even as I stared at the light, willing to move it again. Anakin calmly removed his lightsaber even as Obi-Wan opened his mouth to ask me to get the cage moving again.

"There are more ways than one," Anakin said with that quiet strength of his, activating the lightsaber and plunging the tip into the ceiling plates. I could hear the flame cutting through the metal, the soft shriek as the fibers melted and were pried away. Obi-Wan glanced at that for a moment before turning to me.

"Must we do everything around here?"

I just rolled my eyes. Obi-Wan sighed, removed his communicator and contacted Artoo, asking the droid to power the elevator. A smoldering chunk of metal suddenly fell from the top of the cage, landing heavily on the floor. Anakin disappeared two seconds later, leaping out with a jump that would make a frog envy. Obi-Wan pulled the communicator from his mouth, his eyes glazed over as he muttered, "Always on the move."

I could feel the elevator power up even as the brakes were loosened. Obi-Wan gasped and fell forward as I noticed the lights going in the other direction at a speed that I could only describe as a plummet. Obi-Wan quickly pushed himself back again the far panel and rasped in the communicator that it was supposed to go the other way. I could practically hear Artoo roll his eyes at that. But my senses were now in tune with Anakin who had managed to find himself in danger. He must've jumped off the cage to safety when it had pitched into its freefall.

"Artoo!"

Deciding not to trust a moody Astro droid, I took matters into my own hands. Calmly, I moved over and reached into the panel, my senses moving me through the hot wires and faulty connections. I could feel my mind send the impulse through my fingertips as the wires were touched by the Force. The cage ground to a halt and Obi-Wan fell forward again with a groan. Seconds later, the elevator moved back up at much the same rate it did before. Obi-Wan actually looked flustered as he picked himself up again.

"Must I do everything around here?" I asked, mimicking his picky tone. He just eyed me with that patented look of his before a blur dropped from the hole in the deck plates. Obi-Wan turned, activating his lightsaber as Anakin righted himself, all smirks.

"Oh, it's you," Obi-Wan said humorlessly, deactivating his lightsaber as both Jedi turned to me.

"When we get to the top," Anakin said, leaning closer to me, "stay clear. Stay as far from the fight as necessary."

"But don't you want my help?" I asked innocently. I knew better than to think he would refuse my help, especially when I could offer it freely.

"Your assistance would be most welcome in all instances but this," Anakin replied, frowning. "However, I fear that you may be sensed by Dooku. He is a Sith lord."

"Right," I said, shrugging. "So you want me to stay out of sight. I can do that pretty good. I am invisible." Oh, never mind the fact I'm a Slayer or anything… not that they'd know, anyway.

"We know," Anakin replied, amused.

"We are trying to keep your safe," Obi-Wan countered.

I scoffed, folding my arms and glaring at the doors, willing them to open whether we'd reached the tower or not. "You're just trying to keep me to yourselves." Though part of me wouldn't mind a new battle in the least, another part of me was curious. So far, I had watched the Jedi battle metal droids and oversized toads. Watching them face one of their own was something that intrigued me.

"Trust me," Obi-Wan replied, tucking his lightsaber in his belt as the brakes on the elevator clenched, the cage drawing to a halt, "if we were able to rid ourselves of you, it would not be our first choice."

"That was almost sweet," I muttered as the doors parted.

"Don't draw attention to yourself," Anakin whispered as I began to fade from view. Once I had sufficiently disappeared for them, I moved my invisible butt over to the edge of a wide veranda. Two sets of black steps led to a large room. It simply took my breath away. There were large plates of what I thought could be glass, but on the other side was the battle. I could only watch, captivated, as ships bearing green, red and blue laser fire darted back and forth. Explosions sent fiery bits of metal and debris into the air. It was quite a sight. This was definitely not Cato Neimoidia.

The two Jedi had calmly made their way down the steps, moving towards a figure seated in a black chair. His wrists were bound to the arms of the chair with glowing metallic rings. But other than that he seemed not to be a hostage. I felt my eyes narrow as I surveyed him. He was elderly looking, probably a decade or so older than Giles. His face was lined and fatigued, but there was something else, too. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was just _something_ that mystified me about him.

His first words as the Jedi approached him were, "Count Dooku."

The door a few feet to my right had opened and three figures stepped through. Two were identical to the droids I had killed below. The other was throwing my spidey-sense into chaos. Usually I could pick out vampires and demons by intuition. But this was different. This man was no demon, nor was he a vampire. He was human, albeit one dressed like Dracula, and he was definitely the one I had seen on the holo-monitor on Cato Neimoidia.

His movements were ethereal as he reached the edge of the veranda. His elderly face split into a wide grin, his eyes mirthful. If I didn't know any better, I would call him a playful grandfather. But there was nothing playful about the malice I sensed from him. There was the hatred, so powerful it took my breath away. He _hated _the Jedi he faced. There was passion, too, and lust for the kill. I could practically hear him salivating from my hidden position way up here… With a flip like something of a Slayer's grace, he somersaulted to the bottom level, never once losing his composure.

Both Jedi parted, speaking quietly to one another as they took a stance on either side of the Chancellor. "You are no match for him," the Chancellor said softly, his eyes taking on a look of fear as he surveyed the formidable form casually strutting towards them. "He's a Sith lord."

"Chancellor Palpatine," Obi-Wan said, his lips curving into that teasing smile he so loved to show off, "Sith lords are our specialty."

I couldn't resist a smile at that one.

"Your swords, please," Dooku said, moving closer to the Jedi. "We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

Both Jedi removed their cloaks, the materials floating to the ground. Both drew their lightsabers. Obi-Wan was the first to activate his blade, his eyes glowing. "You won't get away this time," he said quietly. Anakin was only a half-second behind him, his blue blade adding to the light. Count Dooku was no fool – he activated his and instinctively drew backwards as both Jedi pressed the first assault. The golden flash as the lightsabers touched was brilliant, as was the sound, like live electrical wires twisting around one another. There really wasn't a sound like it.

I could only watch as both Jedi assaulted the Count who was quite skilled despite his age. His formidable defense against both could only speak for his skills, but I couldn't deny he had style. His movements carried him with ease as he was able to fight Anakin on one side and easily defend Obi-Wan's sudden parry on the other. It was obvious that the Jedi fought using two separate styles. Anakin's strokes were more powerful and easily opened more territory. Obi-Wan had a more practiced style, one that spoke from years of experience.

"I've been looking forward to this," Dooku beamed, eyeing both Jedi as they stepped away, circling around the front of him. His eyes settled on Anakin as Obi-Wan moved to his left.

"My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count." There was no love for the Count in his eyes. His golden arm twitched as he knew he was fighting to avenge the loss of his once-dominant arm.

"Good," the Count sneered, stopping in front of both Jedi. I could feel it in my gut – he was taunting them. How twisted was this man? "Twice the pride and double the fall." He baited them both and both Jedi leapt back in. Obi-Wan allowed Anakin to take the center, using his broad strokes and his carefully controlled swings in order to force the Count towards the steps. The three blades froze together for a second before the Count cheerfully broke the stalemate. He allowed Obi-Wan to dart again in front of him before he drew back, swinging his lightsaber over his head. With a mean little glint in his eye, he extended his hand forward, using the Force to push Obi-Wan and knock him from the fight.

Immediately, I drew forward, watching as Obi-Wan took a hard landing, groaning as he hit the deck. I longed to give him anything I could, even as their warnings sounded in my mind. I chose to risk it. After all, Obi-Wan was the reason why I was still here instead of just floating around in empty space.

The Count and Anakin swept up the steps. Dooku moved quickly for one of his age, but it seemed that Jedi just had more to them as they aged. He simply had something that Anakin didn't have. Grace. Anakin moved without it. Dooku oozed it. Again, their blades clashed furiously as Anakin backed the Count up the steps. The concentration shone in his face and behind every stroke, his effort. There was no way he would allow Dooku to escape. That much I felt certain for.

Obi-Wan moved with speed I had never seen from him and darted towards the other steps. The two super battle droids took the opportunity and fired upon the other Jedi. That was when I offered him my assistance which he took, despite his earlier warnings. Their shots reflected from the blade he held to protect his face. Both were soon full of their own blaster bolts and both were soon nothing more than smoldering bits of former battle droids.

"Yeah!"

I turned my head slowly to see the Chancellor sitting on the edge of his seat, watching the fight eagerly. As I turned back, I didn't notice that his eyes had moved from Obi-Wan's position to my own, widening ever so slightly as he felt the strength of the Force in the room, but there was a power beyond the Force placed between both fighters. But standing there was only empty air, but he had felt it.

Obi-Wan had just reached the fight, giving one blow before Dooku decided to strike with his normal edge of badass-ness. He used the edge of the foot and a bit of the Force to kick Anakin backwards away from him. His hand moved towards Obi-Wan's throat, stopping just shy but using just enough of the Force to administer a choke hold. Obi-Wan gasped as his body was lifted from the ground.

Anakin landed hard, slamming into a wall before collapsing. He never seemed to lose himself though as he glanced up, the blue blade reflecting the irritation in his face. Dooku held onto Obi-Wan for a moment, his eyes curiously sizing up the Jedi that nearly laid him waste before he simply moved aside and let the Force carry him. I watched as Obi-Wan soared past as a blur, landing heavily against the edge of the veranda near where I stood. He bounced harmlessly from the wired railing before landing on the deck below. I moved to the edge, horrified. He wasn't moving. There was another tremor in the Force and I felt the veranda beneath my feet give way. I could only move backwards towards the outer wall as the veranda collapsed, pinning Obi-Wan beneath it.

Anakin took that moment to strike. I reached out with the Force, attempting to find Obi-Wan but I found him unconscious and wounded. There was nothing I could do without revealing myself to him, despite my feelings. Instead, I turned my attention towards Anakin. I could see the darkness in his eyes as he moved to his feet and leapt towards Dooku. It was then that I moved towards him. I knew he could sense me and yet I could feel through the Force that he was pushing me away. He wanted to protect me, but I was not the one that needed protection. Instead, I offered him the Force.

Anakin felt the Force flow through him, mightier than any adrenaline rush. He landed before Dooku, kicking the older Count over the edge of the veranda before neatly flipping over it. He landed and immediately struck out, blue blade clashing against red. I stood at the edge of the veranda where he had jumped, watching the fight. I found myself unable to look away.

Now _this _was my type of violence – with fiery sticks.

Anakin's attack was more frenzied than anything I had seen before. Watching his movements only proved my initial theories of him wrong. The boy did know how to move gracefully. Dooku was still able to muster a defense and complete those refined, sweeping moves that allowed me to admire him.

It was as their blades clashed, the light burning against one another that Dooku leaned forward. "I sense great fear in you," he breathed, his eyes twinkling. Anakin held the stalemate, his own eyes darkening. The Force was strong in him, but it also spoke through him. He did feel fear. There were two lives other than his he needed to keep safe. If he died here today, Obi-Wan would die and Buffy would be found. "You have hate," Dooku continued, his voice rising as his passions flared. "You have anger. But you don't _use _them."

Anakin chose that moment to push Dooku away from him. As the Count turned towards him, the blade swirling playfully, he knew that Dooku was toying with him. But Anakin was done playing. Drawing on the Force, he surged forward. Taking the blade in his hands, he drew it above his head in a sweeping motion, feeling the lightsabers clash again. Even as ships and fighters raced through the view ports outside, the fight inside grew even more intense. Anakin was gaining the upper hand. He knew how to master the Force to flow through him, to guide his movements. He felt the Force guarding his anger but allowing his other intense motions to come forth. It was his pride on the line, now.

Dooku, on the other hand, was quickly tiring. The Force had grown stronger in Anakin during this fight. It was clear he was going to lose this fight, but he wouldn't give it up easily. With Obi-Wan out, he had this child to deal with. This is what his Master had commanded him to do; to fight Skywalker. He was fighting Skywalker. And the boy was more than his match, far more than he originally was on Geonosis.

Anakin suddenly drew his blade down. Dooku was forced into a bow with his arms extended. With a sudden jerk Dooku's hands were burnt from his arms, the lightsaber moving freely into Anakin's outstretched hands. As Dooku fell to his knees, Anakin moved both lightsabers into a cross and rested them above Dooku's shoulders. He was letting the Sith lord know in no uncertain terms that he was willing to kill him. But Dooku was wasted; the power of the Force had been with his hands, which were lying in bloody pieces a distance away.

At once, he turned to Anakin, his eyes begging for mercy.

But the deep, unsettling chuckle of the Chancellor behind Anakin sounded. "Good, Anakin, good," the Chancellor murmured, resting back in his seat now. He looked too pleased as Dooku stared up at Anakin. "Kill him."

I glanced at the Chancellor, my thoughts turning immediately to the defenseless man who knelt there, begging for mercy. But there was no compassion on Anakin's face, though he had more than avenged the loss of his limb and Obi-Wan's sudden defeat. If I could have cried out in this moment, I would have. Dooku lowered his gaze from Anakin's, glancing at the Chancellor.

"Kill him now."

"No," I whispered, floating through the wired fence and down onto the deck.

"I shouldn't," Anakin said quietly, shaking his head. His dark eyes were resting on the pathetic old man's face. I could feel his conflict, sensed his anguish.

"Do it." The Chancellor's voice had lowered to a harsh command, his eyes flickering. I turned again towards the Chancellor, seeing the light play across his face. Though I couldn't quite focus on it, there was definitely something behind those eyes.

Dooku seemed to sense his end had come. His fearful eyes gazed up at Anakin's, holding a quiet resolution, almost pleading for death. Taking a deep breath, Anakin brought his wrists together. With a small cry, I watched as Dooku's head was severed from his body, rolling quietly away before the former Sith lord collapsed. For a moment, all was silent.

Anakin slowly lowered his arms, deactivating both lightsabers. He was breathing hard as he attempted to come to grips with what he had done. I just stood, frozen, not able to believe what I had just seen. Anakin had taken a human life. Though Dooku had been a Sith, he was unarmed and defenseless. For a split second, his eyes met mine. He knew I didn't understand his motives. I could see the emotions across his face. I could feel every one of them. I could only shake my head at him before he slowly turned at the sound of Palpatine's voice.

"You did well, Anakin. He was far too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner," he said, voicing my own concerns as his hand hovered over the Chancellor's restraints, removing him from his bonds. Palpatine glanced down as his bracelets released him and he slowly rose to his feet. "It's not the Jedi way."

"It was only natural," Palpatine replied, standing up as he massaged his wrists. "You wanted revenge. It isn't the first time, though, was it? Remember what you told me about your mother?"

Anakin still looked torn, refusing to meet the Chancellor's eyes. But when he spoke of Anakin's mother, I felt a twinge of guilt and anger from him. Even as the men spoke, I could feel the bond between them.

As they made to leave, Anakin moved towards Obi-Wan. I followed behind him. As he bent down over Obi-Wan, his eyes moved towards me. "If you want to help, now is the time."

I glanced behind me at Palpatine, who was surveying Anakin with shrewd eyes. But some innate sense of caution quieted my desire. I could remain invisible for a few more minutes. My attention turned to Obi-Wan, my hand passing down to the back of his head. "He's alive," I murmured. "But he's out cold."

Anakin nodded with my assessment, turning to roll Obi-Wan over gently, checking the man's pulse. Behind us, Palpatine told us that we needed to get off the ship and it was too late for the elder Jedi. "He seems to be alright," Anakin said.

"Leave him, or we'll never make it."

"No! "

Anakin shot me a quick look. In my mind, I could hear his voice. "Don't be stupid. I'm not leaving him."

"His fate will be the same as ours," Anakin replied evenly to the Chancellor, drawing Obi-Wan up and slinging him over his back like a sack of potatoes. I drew up beside him and we made our way towards the elevator. "The elevator's not working."

I quietly turned around, noticing that the ship seemed different. It shuddered beneath our feet, but with my keen Slayer sense of hearing, I could hear the sound of its massive batteries firing. "We're under attack," I whispered.

Anakin took Obi-Wan's communicator and drew it to his mouth. "Artoo, activate elevator three-two-two-four."

The ship shuddered beneath our feet. As I saw the immense plumes of smoke from the view ports behind us, I also noticed that bits of our ship's hill were seeping out into space. "It won't help," I said quietly, turning back to the elevator. "Main power is offline."

It was then the ship rumbled and both Anakin and the Chancellor fell forward, catching themselves on the wall. I just stood there as the ship began to switch angles. It appeared the ship was going down. A loud whistle sounded, more like a siren than anything else. Both Anakin and Palpatine were forced to correct their steps to the angle the ship was now moving at, but neither could do it fast enough. As the shaft doors opened, both Anakin and Palpatine lunged forward, wrapping their fingers around the outer edge and pulling themselves through as they fell flat on their bellies.

The ship was now moving straight down. Both men managed to climb through the opening, running down the elevator shaft. I could hear the sound of something coming online, but until I reached a panel of some kind, I wouldn't be able to tell what it was. As far as I knew, the ship was in a major freefall towards Coruscant.

The ship began to switch directions again, leveling out from the ninety degree pitch. Both Anakin and the Chancellor were forced to slow down as the angle of their current path was suddenly pushed down again. Without anything to hold onto, they began sliding downwards, picking up speed. As the ship leveled out, I watched in horror as Anakin and Obi-Wan plummeted towards their deaths.

Anakin's hands searched the shaft and finally found a hold. His body jerked to a stop. The Chancellor clutched at Anakin's legs as he dangled below, eyeing the endless pit nervously as he gazed up.

Obi-Wan seemed to come to, his head brushing against the wall. His eyes glanced out and saw nothing more than a grimy metallic wall. He glanced down and felt all the blood rush to his head. With a gasp he bent up, his arms encircling around Anakin's chest.

"Easy," Anakin said, annoyed at the sudden choke hold placed on him by his former Mentor. "We're in a bit of a situation here."

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, gazing down and gulping. "Did I miss something?"

"Hold on," Anakin said, turning his attention back to the problem at hand. Both the Chancellor and Obi-Wan were weighing him down. He gazed at me, floating next to them without a simple care at all. His eyes held a look that clearly said, 'you have got to be kidding me'. I just hovered, staring around until I heard a distant rumbling sound. It wasn't large, like an explosion. No, it was coming from above. Anakin's eyes followed my gaze and he froze.

"What's that?" Obi-Wan asked dazedly.

"Oops," Anakin said, remembering his last command to the droid. "Uh, Artoo, Artoo, shut down the elevator…"

"No time," Obi-Wan said as the elevator fell towards them at an impressive speed. "Jump!"

Anakin released his hold on the rung as the three sailed down in a single file. Obi-Wan released his hold on him and they both reached for their grapple hooks that had been attached to their belts. They both were able to fire the hooks and make contact. Using the lines, they swung through an open door just as the elevator sailed past them, whistling.

Anakin and Obi-Wan were the first to recover. As I dreamily floated through the doorway before touching my feet to the deck, Obi-Wan gazed at me. "Let's see if there's something in the hangar bay that's still flyable," he said quietly, turning away from me.

"Artoo," Anakin said, using the communicator again. "Get up here right away."

"This'd be our best chance," Obi-Wan said, nodding down a longer corridor. Their only other option was taking one where the lights had yet to come back on. The three men took off running and I quietly followed behind them. When I saw something to my right, however, I forked off the main corridor and headed in a different direction.

Suddenly, the three were stopped as a glowing white light surrounded them. They glanced as spirals of energy flickered around them. Drawing to a stop, Obi-Wan glanced around them in disbelief. "Wait a minute," he said, glancing at Anakin. "We're smarter than this!"

"Apparently not," Anakin said, glancing around them. "The oldest trap in the book and we walked right into it. Well…" His eyes darted to his former Master. "_You _walked right into it. I was just trying to keep up."

"So now this is _my _fault?" Obi-Wan murmured.

"You're the Master," Anakin said, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Right," Obi-Wan said dryly. "Joke around at a time like this." He gave a sigh as he stared at the ray shield surrounding them. "This is the Dark Side. Our instincts can't be trusted."

"Well, I say patience."

"Patience?" Obi-Wan asked, glancing at Anakin incredulously.

"Yes. In a moment or two, Artoo will come through that door and raise the shield."

"Patience," Obi-Wan frowned, crossing his arms as he thought over their predicament. However, when the door opened and Artoo sailed through, smashing into another wall, he turned back to Anakin, who wore a humbled expression.

"See? No problem."

There was the click and sudden mechanical voices to their left. Both Jedi turned and saw two destroyers loading their weapons and setting their shields. As other droids continued to swarm around them, taking out Artoo, Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "Is there a plan B?" he asked with a knowing look.

Anakin casually glanced around them, but he couldn't feel the girl's presence. "I sure hope so," he murmured under his breath. The Chancellor just sighed resignedly.

x-o-x

I remained quietly watching the droids take the Jedi and the Chancellor into custody. I was not yet willing to reveal myself yet, mostly because I didn't altogether trust the Chancellor. Another reason was Anakin – I was still too befuddled from his actions before. But I could sense that they were searching for me. All I could do was remain still. I would reveal myself when I was ready… and save their sorry butts again. Why were they always getting into such trouble? They were worse than Dawn!

x-o-x

Facing odds was bad enough, but facing two droids neither Jedi had seen before was worse. Anakin peered intently at the two figures that moved elegantly through the thick lines of metal. Eight destroyers were armed and surrounding them. Twice that many numbered the super battle droids, their cannons lifted over the destroyers' shields, prepared to fire if necessary. These two new droids moved in a completely different manner. It was almost as though they were human.

"I've heard of them before," Anakin whispered. "In the intelligence files… they're General Grievous' personal bodyguards. They were created to kill Jedi."

Obi-Wan could clearly see that both bore the marks of lightsaber wounds, but neither was hurting because of it. In fact, both droids seemed to be positively unscathed. The fate of the Jedi that attacked them, on the other hand, was most certainly ill news.

"Surrender," the Chancellor said softly. "Surrender now and perhaps you two can negotiate our release."

Obi-Wan glanced at the Chancellor for a moment before forcing himself to look into their circumstances. Right now, he was willing to take that chance. He felt the Force surrounding him. His lips curved as he surrendered his lightsaber to one of the bodyguards. The droid took it, its fingers gently grasping the tool before pulling it out of reach. The others seemed solemn as the bodyguards led the march to the command bridge.

As they crossed the threshold, Obi-Wan remained calm and focused. But instead of tapping into the Force, he felt the Force tap into him. Every sensation, every molecule, every emotion reigned in his mind. From the heat of the electrostaff humming behind him in the hands of the guards to the duranium ribcage protecting General Grievous, he felt it all. He _was _it all.

The darkness that had shrouded his instincts seemed to melt away. It was like being released from a long-dark prison into a memory of childhood where things were simple, free and clear. The Force was allowing him a pure moment of clarity, returning him to the light.

Now, Obi-Wan Kenobi feels strong.

"Rare trophies, these," Grievous said in his mechanical wheeze, accepting two lightsabers from his bodyguard. "The weapon of Anakin Skywalker and the weapon of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I look forward to adding them to my collection."

"That's not going to happen," Obi-Wan said calmly. A cold yellow stare pinned him down, the skull-mask's eyes promising him nothing short of death. But even as he stared into the abyss, he felt nothing. There was no death. There was only the Force.

He felt Anakin shifting aside, nudging the Chancellor out of the line of fire. Grievous took a moment to stomp forward, peering intently into the solemn gaze of the Negotiator. "So confident, are you?"

"Not at all, actually," Obi-Wan replied, a hint of cheer in his voice. "I am willing to accept your surrender, should you give it."

The General stared at him a moment before spluttering in mechanical laughter. "Does this _I will accept your surrender_ talk ever actually work?"

"Sometimes," Obi-Wan replied. "When it doesn't, people get hurt. Sometimes people even die. I hope you realize that I speak for you."

"I think _not_," Grievous replied, igniting both lightsabers and throwing back his cloak, flashing off a pair of others. "I shall strike you down with your own weapon. I am going to kill you."

Obi-Wan's smile grew as his eyes hardened. "No," he said quietly. "I don't think so."

"Artoo!" Anakin suddenly shouted. This drew Grievous' attention from Obi-Wan as the astromech suddenly released its booster rockets, its claw arm and its cable gun. In the moment it took for the droid to react, Obi-Wan used the force to reverse the hold the General had on their weapons. His lightsaber went into his hand; the Force took care of the rest. Anakin colorfully pushed the Chancellor from the line with his shoulder while lifting his bound hands. A moment later Obi-Wan's blade had set them free.

It was through the Force that Anakin recovered his own lightsaber, clutching it in his metallic arm, hidden only by a simple glove. But the Force guided his lightsaber as the two stood back-to-back, taking stock of their situation.

"You have time to reconsider my offer, Grievous," Obi-Wan said, lifting his weapon before his face.

"And this is my answer," Grievous replied, stepping back as his bodyguards stepped forward, whirling their electrostaffs menacingly. "Open fire! Kill them! Kill them both!"

There was a consecutive moment of clicks as the droids prepared to fire. A second later, the bridge exploded into a firestorm.

x-o-x

I moved along the periphery of the battle scene. My job was not to intervene but to observe. The Jedi, both in the Force, had the situation well in hand. I used that time to turn to their enemy. He was kind of skinny for being such a big bad and all. He was more droid-like than human, but he certainly acted more human than droid. I guess not all computer chips are built alike. His bodyguards – I thought that the General had called them MagnaGuards or whatever – were doing their best on Obi-Wan while Anakin was single-handedly dispersing everything else. Even the poor, pitiable Neimoidians fell prey to that lightsaber but it was not at the insistence of the Chancellor. That man had been dragged out and was surrounded by plain old security droids.

As super battle droids kicked in, Artoo rolled forward with his cable claw, dragging droid after droid to its back and blasting it gleefully with some wicked-looking tool that emitted blue sparks or electricity.

The General remained behind a web of freaked out Neimoidians who did little more than flail as their death came to them from the white-hot blade. Anakin moved much as he had in the battle with Dooku with speed and agility akin to that of a Slayer. If he'd been a girl, he would have been a perfect Jedi. It was almost a delight watching him kick droid behinds… if they had behinds.

And then there's Obi-Wan. I had never seen him with so much quiet confidence than when he allowed the Force to overflow him. His mind moved from one tactical scenario to the next, anticipating the next move by his adversary. Each blow was blocked but there was effort to his defense. Each time the MagnaGuard lost a limb, it seemed to compensate. Finally, Obi-Wan gave up and just drove his lightsaber through the center from bottom to top, watching as the thing disintegrated in front of him.

My attention then turned towards the Chancellor, but Anakin was already moving to destroy the two droids that held him hostage. Even though I didn't really know if I liked him or not, I wasn't going to go out of my way to save him and reveal myself. I felt like something was holding me back from doing that. But Anakin seemed more than happy to down two droids and save the Chancellor. Again.

The General suddenly started forward, his amber eyes glittering wickedly at the sight of the eight droidekas now rolling into the foray. Anakin was the first to notice, his eyes every wary of danger. "Master!" he shouted as he moved behind a stack of droid parts to mount a defense as the destroyers quickly mounted their shields and lowered their weapons.

Obi-Wan was at his side in seconds. The older Jedi fought to drown Grievous' cold cackle, but he also knew the Force was apt to help them in this situation. Otherwise the two would never survive the onslaught of droidekas. They were the one he could worry about. The MagnaGuards were no more, the Neimoidians were dead from cowardice and the General basically watched as his minions were cut down one by one by the two Jedi entrusted in his custody.

Someone was so obviously working against him today.

He had fought Jedi and had beaten them. He wasn't considered an enemy of the Republic by deception only. He had counted on crushing the life from both Jedi, but nothing would satisfy the General more than to crush Kenobi. The thought of besting the negotiator was one that left him positively humming with anticipation.

His desire grew as the Jedi managed to defeat the last of his security. Eight droidekas were reduced to nothing more than cinder. All eight had been pushed back into the wall, shorted out and fell apart.

With a growl, Grievous' foot struck out, catching an electrostaff lying freely in the midst of debris. Spinning it with flair, he turned to face Obi-Wan. The Jedi stared him down, his face showing the absence of fear. The lightsaber drew back, hovering a few inches from the Jedi's head, but there was no doubt in Grievous' mind that this would be a victory worth savoring.

But fate seemed to not be on his side this day. He heard footfalls of the other Jedi as Anakin Skywalker leapt behind him, his own lightsaber ready for battle. Grievous drew his eyes from Kenobi with a snarl as he faced down Skywalker. Fighting Obi-Wan was something he looked forward to. But Anakin was the better Jedi. Once Kenobi was dead, he would be faced with Skywalker. As odds were not with him today, he decided it would be best to take his fate into his own hands.

He could survive space; his body had been created for it. The Jedi could not; they were only human.

Obi-Wan and Anakin waited in expectation for Grievous' next move.

It was all I could do to not turn away.

x-o-o-x

Edit copy two – I went back through and fixed a few errors, including the last section. Happy reading!


	17. Politics of Making a Scene

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Politics of Making a Scene

**Summary: ** The battle over Coruscant reaches its most desperate hour as the fate of the Chancellor rests in the hands of two Jedi… and the Force.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **The title of this chapter comes from a story I read ages ago in a different genre, but it just seemed to fit somehow. This chapter contains elements from the film (mostly dialogue) and from the novel by Matthew Stover.

x-o-x

**Politics of Making a Scene**

This is how it felt to be a Slayer in this moment.

It sucked.

Nothing like watching your friends in a life-and-death situation and knowing that the only way to get them out of it would be to meld my mind with a robot. If only I had my strength, because there was nothing more amusing than watching a ghost-y Slayer crump helplessly.

Grievous looked from Obi-Wan to Anakin and back again. His gaze drifted down to the electrostaff. And then his gaze drifted to his reserve droids. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin turned to fight the threat, but they needn't bothered. The Force disbanded the entirety of the squadron. Most were droidekas, but they contained one flaw. Once blown off of their spiny little legs, they had the ability to short themselves out in a short amount of time. Soon more than ten were nothing more than noxious black smoke and crumpled metal.

I sat back, admiring my handiwork. I had to admit, it was more civilized that way. Hacking into computers had always been Willow's job. Would my little red be proud of me? Who knew that doing this kind of thing could be sort of fun… even if disturbing?

Grievous had no choice but to turn back to the Jedi. Neither one had so much as blinked as they turned back to the Confederate leader. Grievous glanced down at his electrostaff one final time before lifting his amber eyes to Obi-Wan. "I am sorry," he wheezed, "but I have not the time to fight you. I have an appointment with an escape pod. And you…" He motioned with the staff. "You have an appointment with death."

"Oh," Obi-Wan said with that proud little smile of his, "I don't think so."

Grievous didn't know what hit him.

In one moment, he went from self-assured robot to a spazzing bit of steel that electrocuted himself with his own electrostaff.

"Damn it," I hissed, hopping aside. Even though the whole not-being-able-to-hurt-myself thing still applied, electricity and me did not mix well.

With a growl worthy of any demon, he hurled the stick towards the sheet of view wall. The transparisteel shattered, shards escaping out into the vacuum of space. Both Jedi dropped their façade and leapt towards the durasteel command posts. Their fingers clasped the cold metal as the vacuum continued to pull them towards certain death. General Grievous made no attempt to hold on. He simply allowed himself to be swept out.

"You chicken!" I shrieked out as I watched both Jedi attempt to cling to their life. "You stupid coward! Why don't you stay and fight!"

Anakin let out a snarl that could have been my name if I had been listening to him.

"Oh, right," I murmured under my breath. I moved to the first computer station I found and used my senses to find the controls to close the view wall. The blast shield closed over the destroyed transparisteel window, but not before every last surviving combat droid had been cut to pieces by the lack of atmosphere. The corpses of the damned Neimoidians had also vented out. But it seemed to be the least of our problems.

The ship seemed to be shaking. Though the attack had stopped for now, it seemed that we were in a world of hurt.

Chancellor Palpatine moved quietly into the bridge, his hands massaging his aching wrists. He couldn't deny what he felt. The Force, though manipulated by the Jedi for their own needs, was felt by many. He felt the power in this room. But unless his eyes deceived him, there had been a blur when the transparisteel window had shattered. A spark from a console seconds later confirmed it. There was another presence in this room other than the two Jedi and the little astromech.

White-hot sparks outside streamed backwards from the view wall windows. The sparks set off alarms in three different pitches. As I was still inside the console, I could determine the problem immediately. This was what remained of the ablative shielding on the cruiser – almost nothing. What little remained of our protection was flowing out from us. But there was more cause for alarm.

"The escape pods are gone," Anakin said quietly, staring hard down at one of the consoles. "Every one of them."

"He's escaped," I said, removing my hands from the console. I didn't care whether or not the Chancellor could see me anymore, considering if he'd gotten a peek at me, it would have been through my heroic moment. I spoke quietly to Anakin, hoping my words were only for him. The Chancellor glanced at the computer with vague disinterest before settling down in a chair that had been occupied only minutes earlier by a terrified and cowardly Neimoidian.

"The ship is going to come apart," Anakin murmured, running his fingers down the controls.

"Well, now would be the time to display your infamous piloting skills then, wouldn't it?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin with a quiet intensity. "You can fly this cruiser."

"Flying this piece of heap is not the problem," Anakin replied, moving steadily towards the piloting chair and pushing aside the blasted controls. He immediately pulled a console closer, examining their condition. "Landing it may be."

"How big of a problem could it be?" the Chancellor asked vaguely, taking the seat and glancing down at the astromech droid that joined his side.

Anakin's fingers slid over unfamiliar controls, but he could feel his childlike pride of being able to pilot every ship returning to him. "You'd better strap yourselves in." He eyed what part of me he could see and gestured to the controls next to him. "If we die, it isn't my fault."

"I never said it was," Obi-Wan replied, grasping the back of Anakin's chair as he peered out of the view port, his eyes narrowing. The distant planet of Coruscant suddenly seemed a lot closer. But suddenly the cruiser bounced, jostling those inside. The altitude began to tip as the ship began to lose gravity. The nose tipped down and without warning picked up speed. To top it off, a klaxon began to sound over their heads, bright lights flashing.

"That wasn't me!" Anakin muttered, removing his hands from the controls. "I haven't done anything yet!"

"It's not," I replied from my place next to him. "We're under attack."

"What?" Anakin breathed, glancing up.

The ship bounced again. There was the whirring sound of technology powering down and dying out. With it came another bounce before the ship continued its downward plummet.

"Perhaps we can talk with them," Obi-Wan said, remembering his head as the Negotiator. Anakin pointed to the seat on his other side and Obi-Wan took it, glancing down at the unfamiliar board as he tried to find the communications panel. "We need to let them know we've captured the ship."

There was a cracking sound as the ship began to burst along the hull. The pressure was too great for the ship to remain intact and the shields were all but gone. The force in the center caused the hull to buckle. Bits of debris, battalions of droids and what remained of the hangar bay were sucked into space as the rear end of the ship broke off.

"Do what you can," Anakin said to me while readjusting his controls. "And I will do what I can."

I gave him a grave nod and reached into the controls. What little was left seemed unresponsive.

Outside, the grim battle over Coruscant seemed to be coming to an end. A shimmering canopy of ion trails and the residue from turbolaser blasts were fading as ships fled the planet in full retreat – the Separatists were leaving. Cruisers that had been damaged in the attack were moving through the atmosphere, limping home to shipyards. All that remained of disabled Separatist ships were boarded and scavenged.

The surface of Coruscant was as grim: smoke from hundreds of fires blotted the skyline. Millions of fragments from ships had infiltrated the sky, far too many to be destroyed by the shield that literally protected the world.

One ship remained above the old cruiser. This ship was _Integrity_, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Needa. After giving word to Jedi Master Yoda that Skywalker and Kenobi were indeed on the Separatist ship, he turned his attention to the matter at hand. Only the best pilot could navigate Coruscant's atmosphere with a half-ship with only a bit of thrusters and drag fins to lead it. He had little hope for those aboard, but it seemed the entire world – no, the entire universe – was waiting to hear of the Chancellor's survival.

Inside the ship, Chancellor Palpatine watched calmly as General Kenobi spoke with _Integrity _in his quiet, calm tones. Anakin Skywalker remained in the center seat. His focus was on the ship burning through the atmosphere. The younger Jedi worried about burnout, he had muttered it to himself several times. And yet on his left, there was nothing in the seat. But he could sense that there was. A lever on one of the control panels moved without any interference. A single eyebrow arched as he turned back to Anakin. Next to him, Artoo twittered helplessly.

"Come on," Anakin murmured under his breath. "Hold it together."

Two small craft suddenly appeared portside, flying overhead to the other side. Both were motioning towards a large tanker moving rapidly towards them. Extended arms moved out, dumping vast quantities of water on what remained of the center of the ship.

"We're coming in too fast," Obi-Wan said, leaning forward in his seat. Communications seemed forgotten as the ship dipped from the atmosphere.

Anakin seemed oddly in place in his blood-splattered, blaster-ridden chair behind a console of controls designed for alien fingers. The only one that had seen these controls before belonged to the one sitting next to him, but she was powerless to do anything. Though she had a gift, she didn't have hands. That would have been of use to him. He uses what skill he can, considered legendary by many, to maneuver a ship around what ships remained in the sky. But ahead is the smoky landscape and hundreds of craters. The task set before him seemed impossible, but he had never heard the word.

His last desire was to tap into the Force, but he hadn't needed to. The Force seemed to flow through him. He found his luck and fortune all the while listening to the shudder each of his commands brings to the disintegrating ship. He heard Obi-Wan's sharp intake of breath as the ship dropped altitude again. Obi-Wan was pointing out what little remained of the view window. "There's a landing strip ahead."

And this is where the fun began. He felt the Force flow through him. He heard the atmospheric drag fins deploy, their angles tweaked by his magnificent fingers. At last he heard the grind of metal on the hardest surface he could find. The ship jostles as it comes to a stop, launching them all forward in their seats.

Glancing up, Anakin saw the smoldering skyline and smiled once. His stubborn will had brought him through. His will had saved his friends. The Force had done the rest.

Obi-Wan was panting as he stood up, casting aside the straps that held him in his seat. "Yet another happy landing," he breathed in relief. Artoo beeped his agreement and even Anakin had to agree to that.

I just stared at 'home sweet home' and felt some of my elation return. Life and death situations were _my _specialty, after all. "Can we do that again?" I asked playfully, watching the light drain from Anakin's face.

x-o-x

Obi-Wan and Anakin seemed only too pleased to leave the ship behind. A small shuttle was waiting for them on the surface near what remained of the ship. Two fireships had swarmed down, putting out what remained of the ship. Even I blanched when I saw how close the Jedi came to a fiery end.

Chancellor Palpatine seemed exhausted as he leaned against Anakin, slowly slipping up the steps. Obi-Wan held back for a moment, speaking with one of the men on the grounds crew. I waited for him before making my ascent. He didn't object to my wanting to remain invisible. I could sense his distrust of the Chancellor even from this distance.

The small ship moved across Coruscant, lifting into the normal traffic. It soon slowed and dipped towards what I saw was the Senate chamber. Chancellor Palpatine visibly cheered up when he saw the delegation waiting for him. "Ah," he said, rising to his feet, despite the ship still moving.

"Chancellor, please, sit down," Anakin said, tugging on the older man's arm. He gave Anakin a kind smile and sat down. The expression on Obi-Wan's face spoke wonders. I thought of asking him about it, but chose to wait for the right time. "Your public will see you soon enough. I am sure they believed we would be up to the task."

The Chancellor gazed at Anakin with eyes full of pride. "Yes, of that I am certain."

Once the ship had landed, Anakin helped the Chancellor off the ramp and down towards the politicians all clamoring to get close to the head of the government. Obi-Wan glanced at me before following them. But he didn't leave the ship. Anakin made to go after them but froze, turning back to his former Master.

"Master, aren't you coming?"

"Mm," Obi-Wan said, casting a disinterested look at the group now surrounding the Chancellor. "I'm afraid I'm not brave enough for politics." His eyes scanned a single figure that had moved to the Chancellor. Mace Windu, one of the top Jedi on the Council. "I have to make my report to the Jedi Council."

"Shouldn't I come with you?"

"No, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, waving an impatient hand as he stared at the younger man. "Someone has to be the poster man for this mission."

"But this was your mission," Anakin insisted. "You planned the mission and it was you that led the rescue. Should you not also be there?" He was not going to let Obi-Wan get away this easily. He would have appealed to Buffy had she been there. Knowing her, she was likely sitting at the back of the transport snickering over the entire situation.

Obi-Wan looked amused. "You won't get out of it that easily, my friend. This is your moment."

"But, Master, you should really be there," Anakin said, his voice a half-plead. The thought of spending time with all of these politicians would be almost worth taking the girl up on the offer and taking the bow of the ship through the atmosphere again. He might even give up fin controls for that.

"Let me remind you Anakin that you were the one that saved my life," Obi-Wan teased. "You killed Dooku, you saved the Chancellor and you did it all while carrying me on your back. Go on now," he added, gesturing towards the group that seemed to be waiting for him. "Go and have your moment in the light. You are a hero. Today you deserve your moment with the politicians."

Anakin laughed, a rich sound coming from his belly. "All right, but you owe me one."

Obi-Wan gave him a tight smile as he stepped back into the shuttle. As the doors shut, he gave the order to the pilot to take them to the Jedi Temple. He then moved towards the back of the shuttle and sat with his back to the pilot to allow the girl to assume her form.

It felt wonderful coming out of hiding, I thought, stretching my legs lazily while examining him.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I assured him, moving my neck from side to side. "You can't really do anything to hurt me anyway."

"If we could only be so lucky," Obi-Wan said humorlessly. As he moved his head, I noticed his hand came up to cradle his head, the place where he had been hit during the confrontation with Dooku.

"Let me see that," I said, moving across the narrow aisle and resting beside him. I could hear him protest and feel his hesitance, but I quickly rebuffed them. "Don't be such a baby. Let me see!" I felt his resistance wane as I examined the bloody patch on his head. "I think we have to amputate."

"You are ever so comforting," Obi-Wan said dryly as he glared at me. Glancing uncertainly over his shoulder, he watched as I took my seat again. "The medical units are needed elsewhere. I'm afraid of how many lives were lost today. If only we had taken less time—"

"The outcome would still have been the same," I said firmly. "You can't stop fate from happening. What you and Anakin did today… I can't begin to tell you how moved I was."

Obi-Wan glanced down, seemingly humbled. "Yes, well…"

"Today you proved to me why I should feel like I'm a part of this," I countered, watching as his eyes slowly lifted to meet mine. "Today you showed me that it's worth fighting for."

"I am happy that our actions have shown you the path," Obi-Wan replied. "But I will tell you that your intervention has again saved our lives."

"The Force saved your life," I smiled. "I had nothing to do with that."

"I believe your own faith may surprise you," Obi-Wan said wisely as the small ship slowly came to land on a pad before the Jedi Temple. "I intend to tell the Council today of your actions over the past few months. You have proven yourself as essential as a Jedi today. What you have to offer us is by no means a small gift." His eyes lowered as he rose, brushing off his blood-spattered tunic.

I followed him down the ramp, trying my best to stay out of sight. Even though Obi-Wan and Anakin appeared to be the only ones who could see me – with the exception of Yoda – I still wanted to remain hidden. When they wanted me to come out and show myself, I would. I had patience. Some things were worth waiting for. This was one of them.

But a part of my mind was still troubled. I had spoken with one half of the infamous Jedi duo. I still had yet to find the other.

x-o-x

Anakin Skywalker felt himself the center of attention as others waited patiently for him to tell his story. Despite his own storytelling capabilities, he glanced uncertainly at the Chancellor. The look was not lost on Mace; his own expression darkened. This was obviously not what he wished to hear. He soon excused himself to return to the Council. The Chancellor seemed only too happy to see him go.

Anakin had been aware of friction between the Jedi Council and his beloved mentor and friend these past few months. It seemed to have grown in his absence.

After shaking off the last few senators with a casual shrug, he moved towards the hallway. His heart wanted one thing and one alone – his Padmé. His eyes sought out Threepio who hovered at the edge, staring nervously at the remnants of senators and HoloNet personnel that seemed to be watching his movements.

"Threepio," Anakin said, moving closer to the droid. "It is wonderful to see you." His voice dropped to a careful whisper. "Where is she?"

"Hidden," Threepio replied, his voice rising. "She has been sequestered all day in the Naboo embassy preparing for tomorrow's debate."

Anakin grimaced; his high views of the Senate were crashing around him, fueling a sigh. "Of course she is."

"That is what she asked me to say as to her whereabouts all afternoon, sir."

Anakin glanced at his droid in confusion. "And what did she say to tell her husband?"

If C3PO could have smirked in this moment, he would have. "She thinks it best to avoid a public scene as she knows you want to maintain your privacy. Those alone are Senator's instructions."

"Where is she, Threepio?" Anakin was losing patience. Since when did protocol droids do a runaround?

"She is waiting for you in the hallway, sir."

Anakin felt a smile growing on his face. "You are amazing, Threepio."

"The credit for that goes to my creator," the droid said, giving a small bow. Anakin just clapped the droid on his shiny shell before moving off.

Padmé was in conversation with another group of Senators. Bail Organa of Alderaan stood opposite her, revealing what he had learned from the larger group in the opposite halls. "The end of Count Dooku will press the Separatists into committing desperate moves," he said quietly. "Hopefully this will force the Separatists to admit defeat and spell the end of the war. With that, there will finally be an end to Palpatine's… police-state tactics and his… dictatorship." Even as he spoke these last words, his lip curled distastefully. Bail Organa was not the only Senator to show grim disgust at the Chancellor.

"I wish that were so," a loud voice said clearly. Padmé turned and felt her heart turn to stone. She heard her heartbeat thundering in her ears. After all she had done and said, her prayers had been answered. Her Jedi had come back to her. The past five months had been kind to him, giving him a height and a presence that nearly stole her breath away. His eyes met hers and they exchanged a look that none could see. Her lips quivered and she saw the passion blazing in his eyes. "However," Anakin said, turning to Bail Organa, "the fighting will continue until General Grievous is spare parts. The Chancellor is very clear on this and I believe the Senate and the Jedi Council will both agree."

"Yes," Bail said, nodding his understanding despite his disagreement. His eyes found Padmé's and he could tell that her feelings on this matched his. "Yes, of course. Excuse me." Touching Padmé's shoulder, he melded away, catching up to the others that had drifted off at Anakin's arrival.

Before she could react, his arms were around her. Even in the shadows they glowed in a bubble so perfect that not even war could tear them apart. Their lips met and, for one shining moment, the universe was perfect.

x-o-x

"Remain behind, I asked you to."

I turned from my position of staring out the windows at the Coruscant skyline to face Yoda. The other Jedi were gone, including Obi-Wan. But with a significant look from Yoda, I chose to linger.

"What's up?" I asked curiously.

"Much to say, have you?"

"A little," I admitted, turning away from the window. "I guess it's not every day that you have a ghost drop in, sprout a little wisdom, kick a little robotic butt and then disappear at the end of the day."

Yoda just stared at me with those intense eyes of his.

"Guess not," I muttered, moving – or, rather, floating – towards the doorway.

"Know not why you are here?"

I paused, letting his words sink in before I realized I couldn't understand what he was saying. With a shrug, I turned back. "Do you really not speak English? I mean, I get my butchering, but you?"

"Human, do I look?"

"Not unless you want to be a cute stuffed plushy."

Yoda bowed his head and stumped around, his little walking stick grinding in the marble floor. "Something, we can do. Earned it, you have."

It still made no sense. I just made a face at Yoda and asked, "Huh?"

x-o-x

Anakin was still glowing after seeing Padmé. Just being able to hold her in his arms… it had been like magic. And then she had told him the greatest news in the world.

He was going to be a father.

He couldn't stop glowing. He knew he was going to give something away if someone looked closely enough. Luckily for him, no one paid him much attention as they had their own things to worry about, the battle of Coruscant being one of them.

He just couldn't wrap his mind around the enormity of the situation. The woman he had devoted his entire life to… they were going to have a baby. He felt a glow of warmth spread through him, something he had not felt in years, since before his mother died.

The feeling seemed to spread from the tips of his fingers to the curl of his toes. His gaze moved upwards and froze.

Standing at the end of the hall was the Slayer.

He felt his blood chill as a deep feeling of fear suddenly stole his breath away. She wasn't looking at him. She was gazing out through the windows, the stunning beams of light cutting through her ghostly figure, one that no one aside from him seemed to see.

All at once, she stopped.

Her eyes met his.

If I could breathe, it would have frozen in that moment. I would have started hyperventilating. I just stared into the face of a man who had taken a Sith's life, an unarmed one at that, and saw nothing in his eyes, nothing to remind me of what he had done.

But his cold nonchalance chilled me to the bone. There was something there, hidden in his eyes, a secret that I could just tell needed to be unwrapped. After my carefully observation of Obi-Wan during his Council briefing, I longed to see Anakin, even to convince myself that this was the Jedi that I had put my life (or lack thereof) on the line for.

In this moment… I didn't know.

The thought terrified me.

Anakin slowly moved closer, attempting to hide the surprise in his face by flashing that stunning smile at passersby. When he finally reached me, his gaze grew solemn.

Just what I needed, I thought dryly; another crabby Jedi to deal with. Only this one had a lot of power and, judging by his instinctive reaction in listening to men who obviously didn't know what the hell they were doing… a lack of direction.

"Buffy," he said quietly, greeting me.

I waited a moment until the dread disappeared from his eyes. There was no use in trying to make him run now. "We need to talk." I made sure my voice held steady, despite the fact that I had very little control over my voice at all. "Now."

x-o-x

In the next part… Buffy gets the surprise of a lifetime.

Thank you to those who review and, especially, read! Your comments make continuing this darned story worth it! Can you believe it was just a little drabble at the beginning? Neither can I! I just accepted a promotion at work which means I'll be switching departments which means that I will _finally _have more free time!! Oh, the thrilling thought! I'm just sad I won't be part of law enforcement anymore. But now my work gets to deal with my degree, which makes me happy and yet sad. The next update won't probably be for a few weeks yet… for those wondering on length, I judge eight chapters left.


	18. Mrs Skywalker

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Mrs. Skywalker

**Summary: ** After seeing the darkness within the younger Jedi, Buffy attempts to reach out to him. But now, she has a new way to make him see the light…

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **And we finally get to the one scene I had always wanted to write. Buffy has always been one to see darkness in others (Faith, Willow, Angel) and she's never really had the power to do anything about it other than her words, her strength and her wiles. Imagine if she had the Force when dealing with that.

x-o-x

**Mrs. Skywalker**

Anakin felt uncomfortable as he heard the steadiness in her voice. But this was Buffy. He could smile at her, charm his way out of danger. Because if he opened up to her now, there was no telling what he would say.

With a sigh, he held out his arm, gesturing to a place in the Temple where the wall panels met. There was no sunlight in this corner and it would hide them from view. Buffy moved with him, ever watchful.

"Buffy, I don't—"

"I would really like to hear me talking now," she said, her voice purposely soft. She didn't want to start yelling at him, drawing the attention of other Jedi who would just happen to pick up on the source of the Living Force. Anakin drew a deep breath, feeling reassured by the surge of the Force he felt within him. Once convinced she wasn't going to hurt him, he wearily let her continue.

"You're an idiot."

Anakin felt his eyebrows rise as he gazed at the ghostly woman in front of him. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're stupid," Buffy continued in a taunting voice. "And you're a moron. What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"When?" he asked blankly.

"I'm talking about rescuing the Chancellor, genius," Buffy snapped back. "Don't you know about the whole anger and hate leading to worse and not-so-good things? You killed an unarmed man."

Anakin felt his defensiveness sharpen as he stared down at the little woman. Who did she think she was coming to critique him like that? "I am not going to listen to you berate me," Anakin said, fighting to keep his tone steady. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know what you did was wrong," Buffy murmured. "And so do you. I can see it in your eyes."

Anakin wished for once that his eyes didn't mirror his soul. He had been so utterly horrified after committing the act that he hadn't given it a second thought until now. Those feelings had remained buried deep inside, but Buffy was now dragging them back to the light. As much as he didn't want to be reminded that he was only human, he resented her for taking this approach.

"Anakin, I'm trying to help you," Buffy continued, seeing the dark look in his face and hating herself for putting it there. "I would have done anything you asked. What you did—"

"What I did is something that I have to live with," Anakin cut in brusquely. "The man that I killed is someone who killed hundreds of Jedi. If you feel that he deserved a better fate, I'm waiting to hear what you have to say…"

"Must you always do what you're told?" Buffy asked him in a hollowed voice. "When are you going to make a decision for yourself?"

"I had a choice—"

"Yes, you're right!" Buffy cried, her voice dropping as she saw two Jedi passing by, deep in conversation. "You did have a choice. You let the Chancellor tell you what to do and you did it."

"That man is my friend," Anakin said in a low, heated voice. "You would do well to leave him out of this."

This wasn't the conversation I wanted to have. The conversation I had in my mind was Anakin admitting that he was wrong to do something so irrational and believing he could overcome his bad decisions. This was something so completely twisted that it stole what little faith I had in myself away.

"Anakin…" I couldn't look at him anymore. I just couldn't. I felt physically ill and I had no body to be physical with.

But the Jedi knight wasn't done yet. "You are not my Master nor are you my friend. You aren't anything but a talking shadow that thinks she's better than what she is. You know nothing!"

I could only watch as he stalked away, the anger rolling off of him in waves. I could feel him attempt to release his anger with a sigh, but it wasn't going far. I could only stare at his back, feeling completely and totally helpless. I reached out with my mind, attempting to find his, but received nothing but a cold shoulder in return.

There was anger there, beneath his surface. But there was something else, too. He was hiding something from me. And I had to find out what it was before it destroyed him. If he was this angry about doing something he quite possibly regretted, I didn't want to find his bad side when he was really angry about something that he had no control over.

x-o-x

"You have been silent as of late."

I glanced at Obi-Wan, feeling somber. It had been a day since my attempted conversation with Anakin and I hadn't spoken much. It wasn't that I was too surprised. I'd had enough conversations with men to know that when they were being stubborn it was best to let it be. But I couldn't help but feel I could have done something more to help him.

"There isn't anything to say," I replied in a dull voice. Obi-Wan, who was busied with something dealing with the Outer Rim, barely acknowledged me as I moved to the table. It was basically a place where the Jedi stood and saw a bunch of things moving around as Obi-Wan changed the views.

"Have you seen Anakin?"

"No," I said honestly. And, if I had a choice, I'd avoid him until that stupid temper of his subsided. I was in no mood to deal with him. This was the conversation with Faith two years ago: painful, unresolved and ending badly for us both. I had lost my sister Slayer and Faith had lost her mind.

"He wasn't at the meeting today."

"Mm," I said noncommittally.

Obi-Wan finally seemed to notice my disinterest. "Are you well?"

"I've been better."

The conversation then turned to battle tactics which I politely opted out of. Other Jedi were now crowding into the war room. Their battle tactics actually sounded decent which I told Obi-Wan but other than that I didn't get myself involved.

After the next meeting was done, Yoda again held me back. I chose not to question him, but for some reason I knew he could sense my frustration.

"Come with me," the small green creature said, stumping out of the room with his walking stick. Perplexed, I followed behind him. The tall, dark-skinned Jedi, Windu, was waiting outside the room for us. He barely flicked his gaze at me before he turned to Yoda.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Believe, I do," Yoda replied, bowing his little head as he continued on. "Come, come, time not to waste."

I didn't have to worry about keeping up with the diminutive Jedi, but the other Master did. I could sense something powerful from him that sent my spidey-senses a tingle. Hell, they were practically singing. Now, this man was a Jedi! Had I not been this close to him, I never would have caught it. Now I was surprised that I had missed it.

Down, down, down we went. At last we arrived at a small room. I floated through the wall as the two Jedi entered through a narrow, well-guarded doorway. There were four figures covered on metal tables with a droid motioning to uncover one of them.

When the sheet was pulled back, I noticed that there was a young man under there. His features reminded me of Xander. Beady dark eyes stared at nothing on the ceiling and its plastic-y skin seemed too perfect. I turned questioningly to Yoda.

"Is yours, the choice," Yoda said quietly, stumping over to the droid and gesturing at the tables with his walking stick. "Choose well, you must."

"Is this some sort of sick joke?" I whispered.

"This is no joke," Mace Windu said in his deep voice, his eyes scrutinizing as they gazed me up and down. "I was informed that you are not deceased as so many who use the Living Force are. You may accomplish more if you had a physical form of your own."

I stared down at the plastic lump that resembled one of my best friends. "I don't know…" I said uncertainly.

"There are others," the droid spoke, turning and uncovering a second. This one was tall and green with weird scales on the sides of her neck and ridges along her jaw that extended down her neck. Her hair was nothing more than protruding tendrils of dark green horns that formed a star-like pattern. Definitely not me.

The next form uncovered actually took my interest. The figure was human with pale skin and a soft, rounded face. Ice-colored eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling and brilliant red waves covered her head. Next to the green-horned alien girl, this felt almost normal. But the thought of me body shopping was enough to freak me out.

"Why?" I chose this question for a good reason, I thought, staring back at the two Jedi who had exchanged a look. "Why do you want my power?"

It seemed that Mace had been waiting for me to ask that question and he chose his words carefully as he replied, "I sense a plot," he said in his deep voice as he leaned against one of the metallic tables, lacing his fingers together.

"The Dark Side clouds judgment, we fear," Yoda added.

"For some time, our ability to detect the Dark Side has been diminished," Mace concluded. "We do not believe that this is the same in your case."

"In my case?" I queried. "You think I'm able to tell the bad guys from the good?" This must be the reason why I seemed to be the only one calling Anakin on his stupid decision-making skills.

"We are hoping for sound judgment from you," Mace agreed. "Yoda has spoken of your ability to sense darkness."

"That I can do," I replied. "But why stick me in a shiny plastic body? Why not give me…" I gestured to the droid that had uncovered a fourth male body before wheeling itself from the room.

The Jedi exchanged that look again. "Time to join the circle of life, it is," Yoda said in his mellow tone. "Return to the living, you must."

"But…" Why was I protesting this? They were giving me a chance to become the closest to human I may ever be again. I stared at all four shiny bodies and felt my shoulders slump. Arguing against the two smart Jedi seemed a very stupid thing to do.

"The choice is ultimately yours," Mace said in a kind voice as he watched my ghostly frame move between the cots, staring intently at each face. "These were created for the purpose of service, but they can become more."

"Will I be able to control them as easily as I can control a droid?"

"Yes," Yoda replied. "No minds, they have. No conscious thoughts, they possess."

"There is a catch," Mace continued. "Once you have taken a physical form, the only way to leave that form is for that form to…"

"The only way for me to become non corporeal again is to die?" I asked curiously. Mace nodded. I turned back to the redheaded robot and felt my fingertips brush through the glazed skin.

But part of me leapt at the opportunity to try this. I had no form so it was hard for the Jedi to take me seriously. If I could somehow appear to them in human form, they would have no choice but to see me for what I really was – a person, despite the fact I had no form. My lips curved at the thought of seeing the look on Obi-Wan's face when the person he was stuck with had taken form. I would be able to touch things again. I would be able to feel the brush of sunlight on my skin. I would be able to fight with my strength instead of pretending I had something in my mental capacity.

I could be whole again.

I touched the redheaded female. She was so unlike me in appearance that it was strange to choose her, but I wanted to keep my femininity and I wanted to be human. If that meant giving up my blonde hair and my petite figure, I was willing to take that chance.

"I choose this one," I said, resting my hand above the plain white robes of the redheaded robot. I turned to Yoda and Mace, who both nodded their assent at my choice. At these words, a flutter of hope stirred so deeply within me I thought I was going to cry. For months I had been nothing but a ghost. In a few hours, I was going to become so much more…

x-o-x

It was the weirdest sensation of my life. One moment I was just a ghost with nothing really holding me together. The next moment I was solid again. I felt so awkward as I sat up, hair falling forward into my face. I lifted my hand to brush it away but smacked myself in the face instead. I was surprised that it stung. I tried tossing my head to get rid of the hair but I upset my balance and instead went tumbling off the metal table with a shriek that did not belong to me.

It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life. The two Jedi just watched as I made one mistake after another. I tripped over my feet which seemed too small for my body. I accidentally knocked over the table with the weird green-skinned woman when I backed up. I almost set my hair on fire when I examined a light with my new eyes. For once, I was grateful Obi-Wan wasn't there. It could have been much, much worse.

Once they ascertained I wasn't going to kill myself by moving, they allowed me to leave the tiny room. I shuffled out, smacking into the doorway. It should have been obvious that I could no longer float through solid objects, but instead smashed into them with enough noise to sound my approach through the whole Temple. I felt a gentle hand on my arm pulling me towards the doorway and then pushing me through it.

As we passed through the hallways, I found that many curious eyes were upon me. Suddenly visible after months of being invisible, I tried to shyly tuck away but stomped on the Jedi Master's foot behind me. At his grunting, I gave him a hesitant smile, my lips practically whirring as I forced them into action.

I couldn't talk yet. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't form words. I felt like I had been pasted together with limbs too large for my body, feet too small and parts that seemed inadequate altogether. The one part I did appreciate was my height. I was much taller than I had been just an hour before. The hair felt like synthetic strands that would only get off my skin if I torched them off. I tried pushing my hair back again and nearly succeeded in smashing the inept limb into my eye again.

A few minutes later, I was starting to get irritated. Were they walking me around the Temple just to humiliate me? Or was this some sort of mental exercise? If they weren't careful, I was going to accidentally sort-of on purpose kick one of them… but, knowing the way things were going, I'd probably fall out of a window or trip down a staircase trying.

They finally reached a staircase. I glanced at the wide steps that gracefully sloped down to the next level. Learning how to walk again was mortifying enough. Learning how to do steps? Even worse.

Two steps after I started I pitched forward, catching myself on the railing. The object buckled under my iron grip and I found myself falling forward again.

I heard a snort and a snicker of laughter behind me and hated whoever was behind it. I felt gentle hands prying me away from the banister as I groaned, shuffling back to my feet only to fall into the arms of the Jedi Master assisting me.

"Take time, it will," Yoda said as he stumped by us, his walking stick clicking as he went along. I strongly had to resist throwing my body at him.

Once I reached the bottom of the steps, I pulled back from Mace and continued my awkward walk across the marble floors. The more I walked, the easier it got. Though I felt like an idiotic toddler taking its first steps, at least they didn't have to contend with incessant whining and tears whenever I fell over.

It wasn't until we passed the large bank of windows that I slowed. I turned, surprised, to my reflection. In the pane of glass with the fake sunlight shining behind it, I saw my face staring back at me for the first time.

I looked surprised. Actually, no matter how hard I tried to move my face, I couldn't get rid of the constant expression of surprise. My hand reached out, looking more like a dancer with locked muscles in her arm. Fingers brushed and felt the glass, sliding over the warm surface and absorbing the feel. Mace Windu stopped walking ahead and doubled back, his look easing from agitation to curiosity.

I could see the world through the eyes of someone else. I felt the lashes close as I blinked, momentarily shutting out the light. My hand fell aside, going limply to my waist.

"There is quite a world to see," Mace said, joining me as I continued to stare outside. It was becoming hard to look away. "You will get the chance to see it."

I had already seen the world through my own eyes. But this was different. I could hear my heart beating. Though very different from me, I felt as though this body already belonged to me. I was making it my own.

"Come," Mace said, tugging at my arm again. "It is time to show you Coruscant."

x-o-x

The world is a far better place when you can breathe it. I couldn't stop staring around me. Though plain in my Jedi robes, I couldn't help but notice the fabulous splash of color Coruscant seemed filled with. Though the Jedi Master was trying to get me to the Senate complex, I was lingering in front of shops, wondering how different garments would look on my new frame. When he asked me about it, all I could do was shrug. It was still hard for me to speak. Rather, it was hard for me to form the words to say them.

The Senate building was no different. As I stumbled in the wide hallways, I saw the look on Mace's face as he led me to an open doorway. They were deliberating inside. It sounded so complicated, watching thousands of little hovercrafts floating around while a few on said floating things talked at the same time.

In the middle of it all was the Chancellor. He stood between his two aides, his eyes casually scanning each person as they spoke, his face set in an expression of serene calm. When he felt something cold at the base of his spine work upwards, his eyes moved up to an open doorway and glimpsed the Jedi standing there. His eyes moved away, but he was well aware that they were watching him.

It seemed like we were standing there for hours before deliberations ended. Senators floated their hovercrafts back and started filling the corridors. Once bitter rivals on the Senate floor were now chattering about lunch and plans after dark. I couldn't help but watch as they strolled by.

"I must find the other Jedi and we will meet with the Chancellor," Mace said after a moment. "I would ask you to come, but it may be best for you to stay here."

As I was not exactly pro-Chancellor at the moment, I forced my head to nod, wincing internally when I heard my neck crack. The Jedi Master then strolled away and I remained behind, walking in the loop around the Senate chambers. It was interesting to see the varieties of people walking to and fro. And though I knew I wasn't in my own body, I knew I saw pairs of masculine eyes checking me out. I took in the conversations, the scents, the touches as I let my hand graze the cold, metal wall.

As I passed a deck which looked at the level below, I paused, resting my arms on the rail. My eyes scanned the scenes below as I watched Senators moving about, droids scuttling back and forth, strange creatures moving on the periphery.

It was then that I saw Anakin. I watched as he moved below, looking in all directions to make sure he wasn't being followed. I quickly turned away, putting my back to him so he wouldn't see me spying. I was pretty sure he wouldn't recognize me even with the Jedi robes. I heard his footsteps disappear below and I moved along the deck, searching for a lift or a staircase. I found a staircase and chose against the stairs, opting instead to slide down the banister. My luck chose not to hold out as I ended up in a crumpled heap at the bottom of it anyway. I used the wall to pull myself to my feet.

I tried running, but I basically looked like a drunk walking the line at a fast pace. I stopped at one of the junctures and listened for the sounds of footsteps. They were still there, but fading fast. I chose to take the corridor and found it led to a large room. A shadow was passing at the far end. I tried running again, stumbling as my feet couldn't really hold a Slayer's speed. I finally reached the end of the long room. I heard voices just outside the room, echoing in a narrow corridor. I paused outside the doorway when I heard Anakin's soft voice.

"You can't keep meeting me here like this," whispered a female voice. "Someone is going to see you."

"I don't care," Anakin said stubbornly. There were sounds of muffled moaning that piqued my curiosity. I turned my head as stealthily as I could and observed the two in an embrace that made my cheeks grow warm. I quickly snapped back and pressed against the door, straining to hear more of their conversation, someone to explain what the hell was going on. I was familiar enough with the Jedi code to know that that embrace was probably forbidden.

"Anakin, don't. Not here, not like this!"

"Why do we have to keep hiding?" Anakin asked, his tone more of a whine than anything. "I don't want to hide this."

"But the Jedi…" Her words were cut off for a moment before she continued. "Anakin, being a Jedi is the best thing that has ever happened to you. Don't turn against them because of me."

"I married you because I love you," Anakin replied.

My eyes widened and I found my lips forming my first word, "What?" I breathed, turning to better hear.

"You are more important than the Jedi. Do you get that?"

"I get it, Ani. But please, don't…" She moaned again and I forced myself to turn away. I felt numb as I moved into the large room again, unable to really form coherent thought other than I had just discovered something so powerful it made my head ache.

Anakin, a Jedi Knight, was married. And, judging by what I had seen of her, she was a Senator.

This made my job all the more interesting.

x-o-x

I stood in front of the mirror in the quarters I had been assigned. I stared at the dress I had slipped on, enjoying the way the fabric felt as it brushed my skin. The skin itself had lost the plastic-y glow and had become something more human, definitely pale, but definitely human. Everything felt less synthetic and more human. It was amazing.

So was this dress, I decided, looking at the wall it fell around my body. It was definitely strange seeing the red hair and the blue eyes, but it was something I could get used to. I kept expecting to hear my name announced as Barbie.

I looked at my eyes, squinting at the placement of liner. My hands were working better now so instead of a black line across my cheek I had actually managed to line my eyes. It amazed me that women on Coruscant didn't use makeup as much as I depended on it. I remembered how free it felt not to have to worry about makeup, underwear, going to the bathroom, needing a shower and just about everything else.

My hand moved to touch my hair which had been pulled up and away from my face. My lips twisted into an ironic smile. But it was my eyes that held me longest. They still looked fake, but there was a depth to them that I found fascinating, almost like looking through my robotic self and seeing the girl beneath.

I heard the chime at my door and stopped primping, turning towards the door while smoothing the corset-y top of the gown. "Enter," I called out, moving towards the small bed and stepping around it.

The door opened and a figure stepped in. "I was told you wanted to—" That was as far as Anakin got. His eyes widened as the woman turned to him, smiling. In a word, she took his breath away. "What…"

"Hmm," I said, smirking at the stunned expression on his face. "Not your best, but it'll do."

"Buffy?" he queried.

"In the flesh," I replied. "Somewhat."

"You… you're…" Words failed him. Shaking his head, he stepped inside my quarters. I gestured to the cushioned seat and he moved towards it as I turned to the door. I used a gentle push from the Force to seal us inside.

"I'm solid again, yes," I heard a new voice say. It was softer than my voice, more feminine. But then again, I had a lot more to work with. This was probably the reason why I was resorting to this as it was. I turned to him and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're the first person to guess correctly. You should have seen Obi-Wan."

"He… he's seen you like this?" Anakin asked, his eyes widening. At my small smile, he turned away, flushing.

"Not like this," I said, picking at the material of my dress as I leaned back, reaching for two glasses on the small table. "Drink?"

Anakin numbly took the water glass, watching curiously as I held mine.

"You can…"

"I can," I replied, chancing a small sip. The first time I had done it, I nearly choked to death. "See? Nothing to it. Even an infant can drink."

"But you're not…"

"Oh, I can tell you I am," I sighed, getting to my feet and setting my glass down. "I wanted to apologize to you for what I said yesterday. You didn't deserve it. I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

Anakin was watching me as I moved around, still in shock from seeing me with a body. "I accept your apology," he said softly.

"You don't have to," I said, turning back to him. I saw his eyes wander and, for a moment, I felt sorry for him. I really wish I didn't have to resort to my wiles to get through to him, "This isn't about accepting anything. You have a choice." I took my water again and risked another sip. "We all do. There's a certain freedom for me, doing what I do, being what I am. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it."

Anakin just shrugged. "You didn't mean anything by what you said."

"But I did mean it," I insisted. "I meant it a lot more than you'll ever know. I know that you were angry when you took on Dookula. I can feel you even through the Force, so don't lie to me."

"You don't understand—"

"He took your arm so you took his life. It isn't that hard to understand. And I know there was another way for it to all go down, but you chose the hard way. Obi-Wan probably commends you because that act saved his life."

"You could have done something," he said quietly.

"I could have, but I didn't. We all make mistakes. We're only human." I drained my water and set the glass aside. "But why we're different is something else. When we make mistakes, people die and that's a risk we can't afford to take. You're a Jedi, Anakin. You're quite possibly _the _best Jedi. I know you think that I'm not someone you can count on, but that's because you don't know me. Let me tell you that I'm going to give you a chance to find out.

"Anger doesn't solve anything. It never does. It just leads to more anger and more hurt. But I've learned a painful lesson. We forge our greatest strength through our pain and that's what makes us who we are. You are the chosen one. Because you were chosen, your pain is a mark on your soul. You can choose to accept it or you can let it all go and take a path we both know you don't want to follow. Being a Jedi makes you better than most humans, but it doesn't make you infallible. They can't make you perfect and you can't be perfect just because they say that they need you to be."

Anakin just looked at me, blinking solemnly. I could actually tell he was listening to me. I wasn't a great speech artist and had never been one for public speaking, but I felt that this was the time I needed to say something.

"There are things in this world that I don't understand. All of my life, I have led with passion. My emotions have made me stronger. I wouldn't be who I am today without them. I couldn't have done half the things I did with you and Obi-Wan if I didn't have my emotions. Being a Jedi blocks those emotions and I don't want to lose who I am." I moved closer to him, taking the cushioned seat next to his. "Part of who I am is belief. I have always believed that I was better than others just because of my gift."

"Your gift?" Anakin asked blankly.

"I'm getting to that," I assured him. "But I've always believed that if the world needed saving, I would do anything I could to save it. I don't always believe in myself, though. The chosen one is meant for something and that something is you, a someone. Things are happening quickly now and I'm not sure I really understand them. What you did to that Count guy was human error. It happens to all of us. But you're better than that. You have to be. So many people are counting on you to be the Jedi prophecy and legend says you are. I don't believe it. Prophecies are the words of old dead men who had no idea what the hell they were talking about. They never know the real people behind the mask. All they can do is take and take everything they can until we're nothing but bitter and cold and angry and hollow and we turn to hate. I don't want that for you."

"I don't want that for me, either," Anakin said with a small smile. He reached over and took my hand reassuringly.

"I want to believe in you, Anakin," I said softly, feeling my voice grow deceptively feminine. "I believe in a better world, a better Republic, one with you in it. Ever since I got here, I've felt this connection to you." My fingers wrapped around his. "You are so much more than I've ever expected. I feel your power and it astounds me. But I see your heart and I see your soul and I feel your pain and it all makes sense. You are extraordinary."

Anakin tried to be modest, he really and truly tried. But he couldn't stop the grin that was forming from coming out nor could he hold back the happy sigh that came from him. He felt her hand on his arm and his body tensed. Instead of feeling defensive, he felt relief. At last, one of the Jedi was telling him what it meant to have him there. Instead of asking more of him, she was telling him that what he did was appreciated. She was telling him that he was a better man than what he was.

For a second, he could almost believe her.

And then he saw how close she was and pulled away, letting go of her hand.

I rose to my feet and moved back towards the small table in the corner. Now came the kicker. "I know you're married," I said in a soft voice.

Anakin sat up, his lips twitching. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Padmé Amidala, right?" I asked, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. "She's that Senator from Naboo, right? She's pretty."

"I don't—"

"You can deny it all you want," I replied as he got to his feet, his gaze meeting mine in the mirror. "But you can't hide it from the Force. I also know enough about the Jedi code to know that what you're doing is wrong."

"What do you feel?"

I looked down at the top of the vanity, my fingers trailing on the few possessions I'd managed to get in the past day. "I think you've earned your happiness. If that means a wife and family, who am I to judge that? I always thought I'd get fat grandkids someday but now…" I looked down at myself and shrugged. "I suppose I could adopt a toaster."

Anakin was staring at me. His eyes were wary and I could feel the resentment rolling off of him in waves.

"I won't reveal your secret," I promised him, crossing to the door and using a bit of the Force to unlock it. "It's not mine to tell. But I wanted you to know that you have someone you can count on here. I know you don't trust me and I want to trust you. In these past few months, you've become a friend to me. I don't have many friends here. Actually, I don't have any."

"You do now," Anakin said softly, his hand grasping my shoulder.

"I just want you to know that someone cares. And if you need anything, you know where to find me."

Anakin nodded, grateful for the support as he moved to the door. As it slid open, he paused, sensing that I wanted something from him. "Did you have anything else?"

"I want to be trained to use one of your light sticks."

His lips quivered as he struggled not to laugh. "A lightsaber?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you ask Obi-Wan?"

"He's got enough on his plate with the war," I replied. "I'm asking you. I've seen your form and I think you have a lot you can teach me. I know you're not a Jedi Master, but I don't think it should matter. I've worked with you and Obi-Wan the longest… I'd like to keep it in the family."

Anakin paused on his way out the door. "I'll think about it."

I paused as I sat on the edge of the bed. "I want to meet her, too."

"I'll think about that, too."

I tried not to smile at his tight posture. "Ease up, there. I don't want you to go all glowy evil lightning on me. I know I've given you a lot to think about."

"It's all right," Anakin said, glancing back at me as he bowed out of my quarters. A moment later, he added, "Thank you."

As the doors closed, I got back to my feet and felt a smile on my face. Though I hadn't been able to get much from him, I at least had gotten my point across. Now I could train in their ways and deal with their issues in my own way.

And then, when the time was right, I could tell them about being a Slayer.

x-o-o-x

**Author's Note**: I chose to update this because going outside is a risky thing. Got to love forest fires in Northern Minnesota... one is ten miles from my house and the air outside is literally grey. I can't wait until it rains again (crossing fingers) so it isn't such a health hazard. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the new direction I'm nudging this fic in. I'm not altogether happy with this chapter, but it's a step in the right direction.


	19. Selfless No More

**And That's What it's All About**

**Title: **And That's What it's All About

**Chapter: **Selfless No More

**Summary: ** Buffy makes her presence known to the Jedi in her own graceful way… even Slayers can have fun, too.

**Disclaimer: **I own neither genre. Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. George Lucas owns the Star Wars franchise. I'm just a poor post-college graduate.

**Spoilers: **There are minor spoilers from both stories, especially Star Wars.

**Notes: **Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter… it was only half written and I was disappointed with it. But, now I'm happier with it and therefore you get an update. Expect regular updates until the end, too, since this is my current and only story at the moment.

x-o-x

**Selfless No More**

Obi-Wan had been settling in for a good meditation when he suddenly felt a brief… curiosity… in the Force. He tried reaching out for it with his mind but felt it suddenly turn on him. It was as though a brightness had diminished. With a frown, he rose up from his cushion and moved to the door, using the Force to push it open.

On the other side of the door in deep conversation was Mace Windu and a feminine figure with her back to him. He quietly moved out, using the Force to close the door behind him. The figure seemed to hear him approach and turned to face him.

For the first time, Obi-Wan found himself looking at one that he felt knew the Force but she wore a completely unfamiliar face. It had a slight sheen on it, as though she had been running to and fro for quite awhile. Her eyes were light and her hair was a brilliant shade of red and her skin was pale. She looked at him before she moved her lips into a welcoming smile and bowed her head to him.

"Obi-Wan," Mace said in a quiet voice as he glanced at the reaction the other woman had. He could tell that she was still trying to pry her lips apart to speak. It was one thing to occupy the body of a droid that had been preprogrammed, but it was something else entirely to just demand a brain from something that had no programming before. Buffy was truly improvising everything. Even if 'everything' was defined as staring at Obi-Wan with those doe-y eyes and that longing stare. Mace quickly tapped her arm and the woman lowered her head again as a confused Obi-Wan looked between them.

"I was unaware you had taken a Padawan," Obi-Wan said, trying to figure out what was going on.

"This is no Padawan learner," Mace Windu said in a heavy voice as the woman looked up again with that penetrating stare, one that definitely reached beyond flesh and blood and went straight for the soul. "This is Buffy Summers."

"_That _is Buffy Summers?" Obi-Wan asked in disbelief. "In case you were unaware, she was formless."

"She has developed a form since then," Mace assured him.

"Are you certain?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning at the young woman that stood before them. "She was so much… shorter."

Now, this was beginning to get ridiculous. He was critiquing my face, for one. Then he couldn't stop staring at it as though trying to see the woman inside the machine. Obviously he was too daft to put two and two together. I was no machine. I was Buffy!

And yet… I still couldn't open my plastic mouth. I heard my words in my head, but programming the stupid lips to move and the voice to speak was a feat worthy of Willow's black mojo. How I wished I had her magic right now!

"I can assure you that this is Buffy Summers," Mace said in a voice that spoke he was losing his patience. "As you can see—"

"I'm real!" I spat out. Well, the words came out in a jumbled rush that had Obi-Wan blinking in surprise and Mace pinching the bridge of his nose. I could sense curiosity from Obi-Wan and a distinct sense of frustration in a very parental way from Mace. "I'm really real and I'm really here," I concluded, blinking at the sound of my voice. It was a little too little-girl-like for my taste and it was definitely a voice that could get annoying when used too often.

Obi-Wan stepped closer to me and I felt his breath on my face, his hands grasping my shoulders as he studied my eyes intently. He was so close… and yet the Force inside of me was telling me to stand clear as this was his way of telling whether or not I was who I had said I was. But I felt completely and totally like doing something so unexpected, especially since he seemed he could use a good—

"It's true," Obi-Wan whispered, stepping back, the warmth of his hands leaving my new limbs. I felt my eyelashes brush my cheeks as the man stepped back.

It had been a _long _time since I'd thought of that. And yet, as he had touched me, I had felt that familiar longing. Apparently not even being a robot could take that away from me. I wonder if Obi-Wan had felt it… I thought I saw something flash through those grey eyes.

"I told you so," I said in my breathy voice, listening to a tone that wasn't mine but the words that seemed to pour from me. "I just come in a different package, that's all." I glanced down at the bland Jedi gown and robes. "Even if I look like I should be teaching beads at a nunnery."

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice still full of disbelief.

"I got myself a new body, that's all," I quipped, my hands reaching up my abdomen to my chest and up to my neck. I noticed that he still hadn't been able to take his eyes off of me.

"She has chosen a form at her own will," Mace concluded, seeing the definite hormones that seemed to pour off of my body. "We have need for her."

There was a flash of irritation in Obi-Wan's eyes as he turned to the Jedi Master, yet he held his tongue. "Did you think of informing me, her keeper?"

"Since when are you the keeper of me?" I asked, unable to keep my mouth shut. "I mean really, men and their possessiveness! How dare you?"

"Buffy, please," Mace said, holding up a calming hand. It was calming, all right. It definitely made me think about beating the crap out of him just for daring to hold that hand up to me. I was definitely not in a 'talk to the hand' kind of mood. "She has a gift, an ability to sense what we cannot. She comes from a background where our judgment is not clouded."

"But why return her to a body?" Obi-Wan asked in a hushed voice. "Was it to free her from her bounds to me?"

Oh, God. Again with the possessiveness! I opened my mouth to speak, but Mace cut in before I could get in a word edgewise. "She is still very much connected to you, Obi-Wan. Remember that her place would not exist if it were not for your intervention. But her role must serve all Jedi and not just your own needs."

I felt guilty at the pained expression on Obi-Wan's face, yet the man just bowed his head and murmured in agreement.

"I'm sorry," I said to him. He gazed at me for a moment before a small smile graced his features. The smile just made me want to fling my arms around him and hold him until that light in his eyes disappeared. The poor man only needed a hug!

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said after a moment. He spoke quietly, privately, as though we were alone in a room and not surrounded by curious Jedi that had suddenly picked up a new Force signal like on sonar. "This was not your doing."

"No, but I chose it," I replied. "You have done so much for me, I felt I could do something in return." At his slight smile, I made to step towards him when I felt a hand on my elbow. I quickly bowed my head in respect as Mace dragged me off away from Obi-Wan. I couldn't help but glance back at him, though my feet still couldn't quite move with my neck craned the other way.

The last look Obi-Wan had at my retreating form was me spilling into Mace's arms – again.

x-o-x

"You've been quiet."

"I know," I said, gazing around the large room. I felt my senses surge into overdrive as I looked hungrily at the weapons surrounding me. "I've had a lot on my mind."

"Did those thoughts include shopping?" Anakin asked, his eyes appraising my latest wardrobe choice. I happened to like my midriff-baring top and the closest thing I could find to leather was on my legs. It was like pulling on a familiar pair of pajamas again, except they were what Faith had called 'big girls clothes'. Yep, that was me. In big girl's clothes. "You have likely spent the entire budget on your fanciful garments."

"I'm a girl and girls like pretty things," I replied cheerfully, my eyes finding a group of lightsabers. I quickly picked up one and attempted to flip it from hand to hand as I would do a stake. Anakin watched as I patiently dropped it time and time again until, at last, the coordination was there to toss the damn thing from one hand to the next.

"You are a Jedi and the Jedi frown on pretty things," Anakin corrected in a patient voice. "And why in the universe did you choose me for this?"

"This is not meant to be torture," I said sweetly, handing him one of the practice lightsabers and pressing the switch on my own. Immediately I felt the Force jolt through me, into my fingertips and through my weapon, activating a stunning blue blade that glowed as I lifted my arms, watching the blue beam of light move up and down and side to side.

"If you had been fighting an opponent, you would have been dead twice over," Anakin said dryly.

"Spoilsport."

"There is no need to be so eloquent in your fighting," Anakin said, activating his own blade and brushing it with hers as he walked to my opposite side.

"Why not?" I challenged him. "It served Count Dookula quite well."

"Ah, yes, but he's dead."

"Because you killed him."

There was a lingering silence in the air before Anakin took a step forward. "See, I—"

"No, no, I'm wrong," I replied as I switched the blade into my stronger right hand. "You've got this whole aspect on how you've done nothing wrong even though a man is dead. I'm not even that stupid to delude myself. What kind of life do you have if you just—aaaah!"

Anakin had just sprung forward, unleashing two swift blows. I barely had enough energy to block them off before Anakin spun in the other direction. His eyes had darkened and his lips curved into a dangerous smile. Before I could attempt to mount a proper defense, he had leapt again.

Around and around we went, him with the slashing and me with the defending. There was a delicate dance, a balance and a song as the blades clashed time and time again. I threw myself into the fight, ignoring the slight twinges of pain as I came to realize my own limitations. This was not a Slayer's body and the only way it would even move as I had once done would be for me to use it more. But this abuse was not something it was used to. I could feel the power draining out of me even as the song of the Force was humming loudly in my ears.

I pulled myself closer to him, seeing that he was down for the moment. His blade swept under his chin to touch mine, our eyes meeting over the humming blades. I held his gaze for a moment before I felt the Force flow through me. Anakin landed on his backside, the blade flying from his hand. Without waiting for an invitation, I switched off my lightsaber and dove at him.

For such a great and chosen Jedi, Anakin sure had issues with hand-to-hand.

My first kick set him off-guard. The next kick sent him spinning towards the door. His hand snatched out and the lightsaber shot back towards him. Only a third kick sent the weapon spinning wildly out of reach as I turned back to him.

"Now, now," I chided, smirking, "that's cheating."

Anakin jumped up and began fighting, though he seemed reluctant to hit me. "Oh come on," I said after three minutes of ducking his wild blows and clearly sensing that he wasn't going to lay a blow. "If the Sith come after you, all they'll have to do is send a defenseless girl because they _know _you won't hit her."

"I will not strike you," Anakin grumbled, getting back to his feet after my graceful sweep had landed him back on his butt. "It is not my place to strike a lady."

"I'm not a lady, I'm an evil robot. Fear me!"

Anakin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he finally struck a blow that hit into my chest. As he threw a second punch, my hand met his and threw him off of his balance. "That was nice," I replied as he began panting. Before he could fully regain his balance, the tip of my foot was into his chest. He fell completely to the floor. Before I had a chance to gloat, he reached out and grasped my ankle. As I was still uncertain how to shift my balance to keep my robotic ass up, I fell…

… directly on top of Anakin.

"That hurt," I murmured, staring down into the face that hovered just a foot below mine. I quickly sat up, reaching for my hair, doing anything to get it away as it seemed to be distracting.

"Here," he said… and actually reached across to tuck my hair behind my ear. Just the feel of his touch was enough to send shivers to all the wrong places. I couldn't believe my luck… the stupid robot couldn't catch her balance quick enough, but she was all about the hormones? Stupid, stupid robot… stupid, stupid, attractive Jedi… stupid _married _Jedi…

"Thanks," I said nervously, quickly sitting up. I then realized where I was sitting and started giggling as I moved away, my back planted against a wall. He sat up, just a few feet in front of me and moved closer.

"Buffy?"

I couldn't catch my breath. Here I was a robot without the ability to breathe and I couldn't. I turned slowly to him.

"Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head, willing my heartbeat to slow down. I felt like my artificial heart was going to do the tango right out of my chest.

"Here." He reached down and grasped my hand, pulling me to my feet. Once again I was standing toe-to-toe with the Jedi. I couldn't help but gaze up at him, my eyes memorizing the lines of his face, even the scars…

I slowly reached up to touch the fine white line. He seemed to shiver at my touch, his eyes on the blurred hand in front of his face and the cold sensation of fingers touching his skin. "Is there something wrong with it?" he asked with a nervous laugh.

"No," I said, pulling my hand back. It was wrong to feel these feelings, I thought. I was just on a hormonal overdrive because I had my emotions back and could react to them like any human could. Well, as well as I could in my current position. Realizing how close I had been to literally seducing the poor Jedi, I stepped back, calling the lightsaber to my hand with the will of the Force.

Anakin sighed, shaking his head to clear it as the lightsaber snapped back into his hand. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but whatever it was had suddenly and completely overtaken his mind. He had no idea what it was that existed between them, but it was definitely treading into dangerous territory. Buffy was not a native Jedi. She didn't know the rules. The rules clearly stated that feelings that he was obviously trying not to feel were forbidden. They were wrong. He hated himself for admitting it, but they were wrong.

As our blades crossed again, I did whatever I could to keep myself calm. My emotions were taking the best of me and turning me into something I didn't want. And yet it was so deliciously wrong and tempting and so a road I didn't want to follow down. These were Jedi, men forbidden from feeling these feelings. That left my only option as to find someone who didn't feel feelings, but who knew how hard that would be?

Unless, of course, I happened to run across the Valentino of Coruscant. Now, wouldn't that be interesting?

x-o-x

Obi-Wan was standing silently near the window, watching as the mid-evening traffic continued across the sky. He paused and half-turned toward the door as his former Padawan stepped in.

"Hello, Master."

"Anakin."

The young Jedi seemed to pause, his face tensing. "I have a matter I wish to discuss with you."

"It wouldn't happen to be our favorite Slayer, would it?" Obi-Wan asked humorlessly.

Anakin let out a nervous chuckle. "What makes you think that?"

"I do not like the way the Council is toying with her," Obi-Wan finally said after a long moment. "Has she revealed to you the reason for her new non-selfless form?"

"No," Anakin admitted. "She has not."

"The Council has always believed our judgment is clouded by the Dark Side," Obi-Wan replied calmly. He crossed the room and sat upon a cushion, inviting the younger Jedi Knight to join him. "They have given her a solid form in order to judge for us."

"Is it the Council's judgment you do not trust, Master, or is it hers?" Anakin asked quietly.

"Is there any reason why we cannot trust her?" Obi-Wan inquired. "She has saved our lives before and I do believe she has our best interests at heart."

"Of that, I am uncertain," Anakin murmured. After a moment, he added, "She has asked me to train her in the Jedi arts, specifically on how to use a lightsaber."

"She could not ask for a better teacher," Obi-Wan replied with a small sigh. "After all, you were the one she watched fighting Dooku, not I. I was the one you had to carry unconscious on your back."

"I did not want to insult you, Master. You can take a new Padawan if you so desired. It should be your decision as it is your cross to bear… pardon the pun."

Obi-Wan thought carefully about his next words. "I should think she choose the stronger of us, Anakin. And she is no Padawan, though she is no Master either. She has a great knowledge and commands the Force at her will, though it seems to be the only thing keeping her with us."

"That thing that keeps her with us is you, Master," Anakin replied. "You are the one she has absolute loyalty to. If I pose a danger to you, I could see myself being her victim."

"Do you believe it would ever come to that, Anakin?"

"No, Master," Anakin replied confidently. "You are like a father to me and I could not ask for a better guide. I can use your teachings to guide her in the Force, though…"

"You do not believe she is a Jedi, do you?"

"I am not sure," Anakin replied anxiously. "She has… abilities… wiles…"

Obi-Wan burst into laughter, the rich sound filling the small room. "She is far from the robotic figure I met with the monotone," he said after a moment, tears of mirth filling his eyes.

"She has mastered the art of shopping, Master," Anakin said, his mouth going dry. "She has the ability to…"

"She is not alone in her race," Obi-Wan said at last. "All women have wiles. Even the Jedi. Given the state of Aayla at the time when her drive returns—"

Anakin's cheeks tinted pink. "Master, that is the _last _thing I needed to know about Master Secura!"

"Hmm," Obi-Wan replied. "You have never mastered the art of a woman before, have you?"

"You were lucky," Anakin retorted. "You had Siri, for whatever short time—" He paused at the pained expression on his Master's face which disappeared instantly a single blink later.

"I was lucky enough to have feelings, yes, but I did not let them master me. If she becomes troublesome, you must remind her of your duties. She should clearly remember her own. It seems as though Master Windu has given her orders and it will be a mark as to the Jedi she is if she follows them."

"I have a feeling that we will be eating our words," Anakin said meekly. "She has never followed the rules, even when she was with us."

"Perhaps not," Obi-Wan replied. "But she deserves the benefit of the doubt, does she not?"

"I agree," Anakin sighed. "But—"

"Just mind my words, Anakin. She is a smart, intelligent woman. She knows what she's doing."

x-o-x

"Ouch… damn it!" I quickly pulled the metallic file from my finger and glanced at the crimson line now streaming down my index finger. I quickly grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around my injured finger, glaring at the metal file for a moment before staring at the blood clearly running down my hand.

I was bleeding?

So much for a manicure. The Jedi didn't have any contacts or any use for such frivolous things. Well, frivolous for them for to me, they were life.

Apparently, I was life, too. Because when one is alive, one can bleed. And apparently nicking myself with a nail file was enough to cause me to bleed.

I heard the chime at my door sound and quickly wrapped the towel around my hand, staring down at my garments. They were hardly appropriate for guests, but I was bored and had been trying on my new wardrobe. At least whichever Jedi was at the door would get an eyeful of something. I quickly pulled my top tight with my uninjured hand and used my injured hand to use the Force to release the lock on the door.

"It's open!"

The door slid open and Anakin stepped in. At once, his face seemed to go red. I turned to him before letting the towel fall to the floor as I held up my bloody finger. "I hurt it."

It took him a moment to understand what I had said. When he did, the Jedi could still hear his hysterical laughter five minutes later.

"Okay, now that's just getting old," I snapped, watching as Anakin sat on the side of the cushion, still clutching his aching sides.

"I apologize," he said, wiping at his streaming eyes. "I just… wow, Buffy. I didn't think that someone with your finesse would be quite upset about breaking a nail."

"I'm a girl, damn it."

Anakin's face sobered. "That you are." He paused and glanced around the room, which looked a bit like my Sunnydale closet but without the pastels. "Have you something for a formal dinner?"

"Why? Are you asking me out?"

He shook his head no. "I was thinking of inviting you to dinner if you so wished to meet my…"

"Okay."

He glanced at me suspiciously, as though trying to sense whether or not I had an ulterior motive. But I kept my gaze carefully blank. After a few moments, he shrugged. "If you prepare yourself quickly, I can take you to where she – we – live."

"Well, clear out. If I change, I do it without prying man's eyes."

Anakin nodded, his cheeks coloring as he made for the door. He was only waiting a few moments before I came out the other side. He looked relieved to see me in something far more modest than the little outfits I kept wearing to our training sessions. I so enjoyed pushing his buttons and watching his Adam's apple bob up and down when he was nervous was just so much fun.

I loved being a flirt again. When I was a ghost, no one took me seriously. Even Mace and Yoda had difficulty restraining the woman in me. She was roaring back to life again and, for the moment, I was okay with it.

As we crossed the long, elaborate halls, I kept glancing around me, seeing the curious stares of the Jedi.

"Why do they keep looking at me?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Anakin replied, "they sense the Force and you're practically the Living Force. They sense you as closely as they can feel you."

I couldn't resist. "Can you feel me?"

He paused. "Yes."

"Can you _really_?" I asked, unable to stop a teasing grin. Luckily he caught it before he could embarrass himself and started snickering. I couldn't help my bemused smirk as we left the Jedi Temple.

"Oh, thank God!" I moaned, throwing my arms out as the last rays of light from Coruscant surrounded me. "I love the sun, even artificially! I hate being so pale."

"Can you not reprogram the pigments of your skin?"

"Yes, but that sounds too science-y for plain ol' me," I replied with a pout. Anakin had just reached his small yellow ship thingy when his communications device started chirping. He quietly took the call in a different direction. When he returned, he looked terse.

"Would you terribly mind if we stopped at the Senate building on the way back?" he asked. "I need to report to the Chancellor."

My head snapped up from the hands folded neatly in my lap. "No," I replied softly, "I have no problem with that."

A half hour later, I found myself back in the Senate chambers, wandering the corridors. Anakin suddenly appeared behind me and led me to the office where the Chancellor worked.

"Wait here," he cautioned, making to move towards the doorway.

"Do not bother," a kind voice said behind me, "I am here." Anakin turned around and quickly bowed. I turned my head and quickly jerked away, staring at the figure behind me.

"Hello, Anakin and thank you for coming on such short notice. I'm afraid that time is a luxury we cannot afford these days." His grandfatherly face turned to me and I could see his eyes widen. "Who is this?"

"This?" Anakin asked quietly. "She's—"

"I'm Buffy," I said, offering the Chancellor my hand. I even threw in a head bow, knowing that it couldn't hurt. I saw the confused look on the Chancellor's face as he took my hand and gave it the smallest shake.

"Charmed, I'm sure. I—"

"She's a Jedi Knight," Anakin finally blurted out. "We've… we've been working together."

"Is that right?" the Chancellor asked, turning to look at the tall, pale form standing before him. "In that case, will you come with us?"

"Me?" I asked quickly. "Oh, no, no… I'm just waiting for Anakin to stop working. I—"

"Oh, but I insist." Those hideous lips of his twisted into a sardonic smile. "Please, come."

I took a deep breath and slowly released it as the Chancellor led Anakin into his office. Counting to three inside my head, I slowly followed behind them, the door swinging shut behind me.

x-o-x

Padmé anxiously set the pitcher in the center of the table and smoothed her blue dress, enjoying the way it stretched over her pregnant belly. She couldn't help but feel trepidation at Anakin's message. He was bringing one of the new Jedi Knights – a _female _by what he had said – home to meet her. And here was Padmé thinking that none of the Jedi could ever know what she and Anakin had.

Inside the lift, Anakin shifted his robes for the twenty first time. It was all I could do to not throttle him.

"Would you relax?" I asked as the lift finally came to a stop. "You're like a Harry Potter fan on book day… gosh."

"I am… apprehensive. None of the Jedi know of my… I don't…"

"Shh," I hushed him with a small smile. "I understand."

"Are you certain you wish to go through with this?" he asked nervously.

"Better late than never," I replied. The doors opened and Anakin stepped through, looking around. A sudden figure came up from the left side and Anakin quickly stepped away from me.

"Ani, you're home," Padmé said, giving her husband a charming smile and squeezing his hands lovingly. Then, at last, she turned to me. "I'm Padmé."

"Buffy."

"Yes," Anakin said, shaking himself out of his stupor. "She's Buffy, she's—"

"If we're all baring our secrets, I might as well tell mine," I replied, giving Anakin a sympathetic smile. "I'm a dead girl walking restored to a robotic body for a Jedi mission." At Padmé's wide-eyed gaze, she immediately swung it to Anakin who confirmed my story.

"She is one with the Living Force, returned to this world because of—"

"Because of a frumpy, grumpy Jedi Master who has a stick shoved too far up his—"

I was startled by the sound of Padmé clapping her hands. As she stepped into the remaining light coming from their balcony, I could clearly see that her pregnancy was coming along nicely. The Force was all but screaming into my ears that there was more to this pregnancy than met the eye.

I felt a sudden determination, one that overshadowed the explicit mission given to me by the Jedi Council. I could clearly see that, despite my brief flirtations, there was a deep love between those two – a sort of love that should last forever. The determination filled my blood until I realized I was staring hard at Padmé and saw the fearful look in her eyes.

Despite everything I was and everything I was here to do, I felt protective, knowing that I would never let anything happen to this family. Because they were the shape of things to come.

x-o-x

Long after she had left his office, the Chancellor could still feel her presence. Anakin's was a presence he had felt since the boy's childhood. But the girl's… it was amazing what he sensed when she stood close to him with those distrusting eyes. She so clearly was dismayed at the close relationship he and the Jedi Knight shared, but he knew that it went beyond that. He could _feel_ it within her… he could feel what she was and the level of the Force. There was no doubt in his mind that this was no ordinary Jedi Knight…

x-o-x

The ward room was quiet as Mace, Obi-Wan and several other Jedi crowded around the console, receiving their latest updates. Mace had noticed that Obi-Wan's silence was lingering. He could feel the younger man's resentment towards the Council's decision to use the Living Force to their own advantage.

"It won't work," Obi-Wan said quietly after Mace had voiced his concern. "The Living Force has a will of its own. We Jedi cannot wield it." His eyes drooped sadly as he regarded the tiny dots that moved across the delicate screen. "No one can."

"Do not fault us for our decision," Mace warned the other Master. "This was made for the Republic."

"If you only knew of her strengths, you would not see the way I do," Obi-Wan replied. "I have known her for months now and her powers—"

"They could be limitless," Mace said evenly. "I can only hope in time we have made the right decision."

x-o-x

Anakin found me by the lifts. I had been standing there, staring into the darkness, for some time now. His gaze softened at my thoughtful expression.

"What's on your mind?"

I could barely look at him. "Love should last forever… but sometimes we can't protect those we love, even if it's our deepest desire."

He looked stricken as though I had slapped him in the face. "I don't know what to believe," he whispered.

"Anakin, you have a job to do." My gentle hand touched his chin, directing his gaze to mine. "And now, so do I. Don't worry. I will take care of everything…"

x-o-o-x


End file.
